Happy Birthday Miss August

Happy Birthday to me today! I thought it would be a perfect day to post my first contribution to the Paper Wardrobe Project. Appropriately, I call this one Miss August.

miss august:  paper couture outfit 1

Look for a video tutorial showing you how to make this lovely dress to post on Friday. A free template will also be provided. I usually like to post these at the same time but I screwed up this time. ;)

How to Make a Product More Appealing

How do I make my product more appealing to my customer? This was the question I was asking myself and headed for the internet to see if I could get some help. What I found was really eye opening.

picture my logo with some colored tissue & a bow

"In direct response marketing, perceived value is more important than actual value." This statement was taken directly from an article called "9 Ways to Create Percieved Value."

possibility for dying/hand stamping and inserting free trims into

Some of the key takeaways of things I'll focus on are packaging, freebies, testimonials and color. I think starting with these will help a lot and I'm looking forward to creating a nice "unboxing" experience.

Note: Images taken directly from product info pages of usbox.com

The Intrigues of Seam Binding

Have you ever come across something you weren't looking for, have never used in your life and would have led a full, happy life without ever laying eyes on it but now that you have seen it, it's a must have?

hand dyed and crinkled seam binding

In an effort to dress up my packing on the dress form dolls I went looking for some freebies I could include and discovered seam binding. While the name speaks for itself, it never would have occurred to me that this could be used as a craft supply.

clothes pins for wrapping trims around

It comes packaged so prettily that I was hooked with the fervor of an addict! There is certainly no shortage of sellers on Etsy willing to sell you piles of this stuff at a very reasonable price however, one seller did stand out.

pretty vintage lace

The 5$ French Market on Etsy has some beautiful, beautiful items that will make perfect accents for packaging with my dress form dolls. Not only is their presentation elegant but they are willing to make custom orders for you. Be sure to stop by for a peek. You'll fall in love!

Note: All images associated with this post remain the copyrighted, intellectual property of 5$ French Market.

Treasury Tranquility

Here is a romantic, beach treasury I posted on Etsy yesterday. I simply adore it!



Hope you enjoy it.

A Little Paper Couture Inspiration

Does this magnificent creation not inspire vast quantities (as my British step-father used to say) paper couture inspiration or what?! I think it's positively scrumptious!

What inspires me most about this burlesque style dress is that sexy scrunched fabric look that adorns the edge of its corseted drop waistline. Muah! Bellissima! Remember that crumpled paper? Yeah, I'm thinkin' some delicate color and . . . 

This dress is a custom order and one of several elegant designs created by Angela of Etsy's Glamtastik. To purchase one of these lovelies in your size, contact Angela for details.

Note: All images associated with this post remain the copyrighted, intellectual property of Angela and Glamtastik.

What's on the Craft Table Today?

Today I'll be working on my latest dress form doll, arranging the roses around the base and otherwise playing around with paper and fiber combinations to use in the skirt. This is a snapshot of my craft table today.

I hope to provide some photos of my inspiration for this project with images of some very lovely corset dresses. We'll see how that goes. For the moment, enjoy!

Saying Good-Bye to Spring

I posted this treasury on Etsy today as my farewell tribute to summer but I think I'm mostly saying good-bye to spring. I know, it's only temporary and what's not to look forward to in the coming seasons?



I've never been a huge fan of fall colors although I love the season, the spiced cider, warm nights by the fire and of course all the reasons to buy CANDY! Enjoy the spring greens if only for today. ;)

For the Pure Enjoyment of Vellum

During a photo shoot over the weekend, I happened to pull out a sheet of clear vellum from my paper stash and taped it to a window. The vellum combined with the white pattern gave the window the appearance of vintage frosted glass.

white patterned vellum taped to window

Although the original subject of my photos was the unfinished dress forms you saw posted earlier this week, I could not pass up the opportunity to shoot photos of this lovely paper rose, hat box and tag.  It was just something pretty to post today and thought you might like it too. Enjoy!

Unfinished Vintage Mini Dress Form Dolls

Introducing the unfinished mini dress form doll now available for your decorating pleasure. This is the first of what I hope will be many and the beginning of a long and deeply satisfying selling relationship.

unfinished dress form doll available on Etsy

You can find this sublime creature for sale in my Etsy shoppe aka the Kell Belle Boutique for the very reasonable song of $16.00. At this price you might even start a whole orchestra! Haha!

Etsy TAGT Treasury Team

If you are an Etsy seller you probably yearn to be one of the proud members featured on the coveted Etsy home page. That kind of showing is like the holy grail of Esty selling.

I recently joined the TAGT Treasury Team and am having the time of my life creating and being featured in treasuries that consistently make page 1 (not to be confused with the Etsy home page) of the treasury listings. Watch for me to land on the home page one day.



TAGT is not for everyone. It's a lot of work. Although the team leaders have set standards for who can become a member, they've done a top notch job of organizing a committed group of sellers. For me, the rewards have far outweighed the effort!

The Pleasures of Crumpled Paper

The other day I was wadding up paper for use in one of my projects. As I ripped the now almost fabric like paper and let the pieces fall randomly I began really looking it them through the eyes of an artist.

How beautiful was that pile? The texture, the bright white color, the almost feathery look, it was positively seductive! Would you believe this is just copy paper?!

I grabbed my camera and began shooting trying to capture reflected color in the folds and gathers of this paper. The ah-ha moment came when I realized how perfect this could be for making paper clothes as part of the Paper Wardrobe Project.

Thank you to Elaine for being my only guesser. Please contact me privately so that I can send you a small gift for participating and guessing correctly.

What is it Wednesday

I'm toying with the idea of making "What is it Wednesday" a regular feature. For now, I'll ask you, my readers to tell me what you think is the subject of this photograph.

what is it?

I promise to tell you all about this tomorrow. Please leave your guess in the comment section and if I get a correct answer, I'll send you an ACEO card of a favorite painting. Happy guessing!

Madame Butterfly Vintage Dress Form Findings

Yep, Madame Butterfly is the name of my latest vintage dress form doll now in progress. I've choosen a color theme and put together some items I think are perfect for the project.

glittered and satin ribbon over collage paper

You'll be relieved to know that I've opted against taking up valuable time here to try to make tulle, crystals and ribbon sound even remotely interesting.

crystal baubles for hanging on top wires

I did get some good shots though so I'm happy to report the shoot didn't take me all day. Hopefully the visuals will be enough to spark some curiosity about how they will be used.

second hanging bauble option

French blue and yellow has got to be what I consider one of the sweetest lil color combinations ever to hit a color wheel. Ha! I'll leave you to your imagination for now.

Paper Couture XI: Vintage Padded Clothes Hangers Shabby Chic Style

I thought it might be nice to cover how to make miniature, vintage, padded clothes hangers before we begin creating paper clothes. This will help give you a pretty way to display your finished dresses.

embellish your hangers in a variety of creative ways

The padded hanger template can be resized to suit your needs if a larger size is preferred. I have designed the template so it is pretty enough for you to keep with your ACEO collection.

click image for full download resolution

Please do not redistribute, alter or publish my templates without my permission. Direct your blog readers back to Kell Belle Studio to download.

I hope you will enjoy the video tutorial. Feel free to direct me to links of your finished work. I would love to see what you create.

Mini Vintage Dress Form Dolls in Progress

These mini vintage dress form dolls are so much fun for me to make that it occurred to me that others may wish to decorate their own dress form dolls.

That said, I have decided to offer some plain dress forms for you to embellish. Look for these to hit the shelves of the Kell Belle Studio boutique very soon.

How to Plan Your Paper Dress Project

Planning your paper dress project does not have to be a daunting task. I touched on this topic in an earlier post and thought it was worth expanding upon.

initial theme planning

Journals are a great place to work out ideas before beginning a project so grab your favorite one and let's get started. Begin by answering a few questions. How do you feel today? Do you feel flirty and sassy? romantic and dreamy? bright and energetic?

inspiration for possible elements to include

What color is your mood? Flirty and sassy makes me think of hot pink, black polka dots, and stripes. Romantic and dreamy is creamy off whites, pale pink or dusty rose. Get the picture?

possible colors and style to cover the body

I'm in an airy, fairy kind of mood today so I'll go with pale french blues and white with splashes of corn flower yellow in a collage style theme.

madam butterfly rough sketch

Lastly, what materials will you use to complete your project? Draw a rough sketch of what you have in mind and watch as your project comes to life as you envisioned it.

Shabby Chic Vintage Dress Form Flapper

Ta da! My first shabby chic vintage dress form doll is finally finished. What better day to show her off than the official launch date of the Paper Wardrobe Project.

Shabby Chic Vintage Dress Form

The dress form is made entirely of paper using both paper machè and decoupage techniques.

Shabby Chic Vintage Dress Form

Wire was inserted through the length to create the stand which was then painted and shaved in places for a distressed look.

Shabby Chic Vintage Dress Form

Her drop waist dress is a double layer of gathered tissue paper with some loosely twisted silk ribbon tied with a big loopy bow and embellished with a spray of paper roses.

Shabby Chic Vintage Dress Form

Vintage lace and paper roses adorn the neck with just a little bit of gathered tulle added at the shoulders to give a hint of sleeve.

Shabby Chic Vintage Dress Form

The base of the stand is embellished with a hand made arrangement of paper roses. I love this doll and already have plans for the next one.