Ursula Celano {Irish dance} Inspired Treats

If you read my blog, you probably already know I adore Irish designer, Ursula Celano. She makes the best, unique Irish-themed gifts, bags, cards, and home goods, all from her own graphic designs. Ursula designed the absolute sweetest Irish dancer gift tags for Christmas...and guess what: they're free! Visit the "freebies" section of her website {www.UrsulaCelano.com/freebies} to download and print them. There, you'll find the dancer tags, along with other non-dance Irish gift tags... including a romantic couple in Dublin and a festive Christmas donkey. {I'm obsessed!}

Using the Irish dancer tags, I whipped up some super simple little treats to give to my dancers at their last class before holiday break {tonight}.

 After printing the Ursula Celano Irish dancer tags, I cut them out and hole-punched the tops. I also printed 2 sheets of tags per page, making the tags half the size. Printing the smaller version was perfect for mass-producing candy cane gifts. If I was using the tags to wrap gifts, I would print them normal sized, as the dancers' details show up much nicer in the larger format.

I used curling ribbon to tie the tags to the candy canes, and then curled the ends for a finishing touch. Since the tags were red and green, I chose a simple white ribbon. I think they turned out perfect...and took all of 15 minutes to make!

SO cute, right?! I love the dancer's little dresses... and they're all different; just like {real life} solo dresses! Ursula Celano's attention to detail is ridiculously perfect...right down to the little buckles on their tiny hard shoes!  

What do you think of the finished product? I hope my dancers like them!

Keep dancing, 

Moira 

Can't get enough Ursula Celano Ireland?

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Giveaways on Facebook [The Irish Dancer & Usula Celano Ireland]

Two great giveaways for Irish dancers are currently running on Facebook! Up for grabs are a lovely bag and purse set + a gorgeous tiara. Be sure to enter for a chance to win!

Bag & Purse set [Ursula Celano Ireland]

Win a traditional boat bag and matching purse by liking and sharing Ursula Celano Ireland's picture on Facebook! Enter by Halloween [October 31] for a chance to win.

Link to the picture to like and share: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=422263284493831&set=a.265084800211681.75814.172520126134816&type=1

... wouldn't it make a lovely dance bag? Or beach bag? Or school bag? ...So many possibilities!

Tiara [The Irish Dancer]

Win a stunning gold plated, A/B crystal Sinead Tiara from The Irish Dancer [theirishdancer.co.uk] by liking their Facebook page [http://www.facebook.com/theirishdancer.co.uk] Enter by November 30th!

The perfect crowing touch for any Irish dancing look! 

Good luck to all, and thanks Ursula Celano Ireland and The Irish Dancer for these great giveaways! 

Keep Dancing,

Moira

[Note: These giveaway contests are not from On My Toes. I'm just sharing these great giveaways from two of my favorite suppliers of goods for Irish dancers worldwide]

What's in Feisonista's Dance Bag?

Next in the "What's in my Dance Bag" series is the ever-so-fashionable, Feisonista. 

Feisonista is a former open champion dancer with a passion for Irish dance and fashion. She danced with a CLRG school throughout high school with trips to the North American Nationals, All-Irelands and Worlds. She then danced in college at Villanova, majoring in Chemical Engineering on the side. She is now juggling real, post-grad life as an engineer with her fun life as a Feisonista. 

So what does the most fashionable feiser carry in her dance bag?

Here's my dance bag! It's half what's actually in my dance bag and half what I will have in a month when I'm teaching again! Can't wait! 

1: Forever 21 dance bag
2: Vera Bradley make up bag in Java Blue [retired pattern]
3: Make up brush bag from Sephora
4: Maybelline Flasies Mascara - amazing!
5: Nude eyeshadow pallet for after dance applications
6: Jergens moisturizer with tanner - just enough color after dance
7: NARS blush and bronzer combo
8: Too Faced bronzer - my favorite for a natural look
9: Victoria Secret Make Up Remover - best before dance to avoid break out
10: Sephora smokey eye pallet
11: Glitter for performance eyes!

12: Liquid eye liner

13: Red lip gloss and lipstick

14: Ribbons for dance class chic hair

15: Bobby pins, of course

16: Safety pins

17: Comb for after dance touch ups

18: Hair ties galore

19: Deodorant

20: One poodle sock...

21. Black tights

22: Celtic Choice soft shoes

23: One ballet slipper...

24: Shades because the sun never sets on an Irish dancer
25: Ursula Celano notebook

26: MS150 number

27: Kiss me I'm Irish button

I have Fays Celtic Choice soft shoes. I have wide, but short feet with high arches and they're the only ones that fit me! I used to have Fays hard shoes with the tan soles but I may or may not have lost them at college... I'm currently on the search for new ones!


My dance bag right now is from Forever 21 actually. I rotate out my dance bag every few month depending on what I'm feeling. I love using it as an accessory. This one is fun for summer with the hot pink accents! I use it as a beach bag on the weekends. 


Beyond shoes, the crucial things I have in my dance bag are: 

My back-up make up supply. Most of my dance classes end up on Thursday nights or during the day on Saturday, so I'm usually heading out with friends after. Some light touch ups transform my look from sweaty to night out easily! The best part? No blush needed - my full jig takes care of that... The deodorant is a crucial part of this as well!


My show make up. I tend to lose things so I have to keep my performance make up in my dance bag! Lately I've been rocking the smokey eye (love the Sephora kit), red lipstick and a winged eye. And of course, some glitter! 


Ribbons to spruce up my practice look. It makes countless drills seem a little more manageable...


Bobby pins, hair ties and safety pins. I think it goes without saying how much these are needed!


Sunglasses. I don't go anywhere without my shades, that includes dance class! Love my green pair for class. 


Some of the more random things in my dance bag: 

One ballet shoe. I've been taking ballet on the side and love it. It's a great way to really get in tune with how your body and muscles works and getting rocking turn out. Unfortunately I lost one slipper...


My number from the MS150. I  recently used this bag on a 170 mile bike ride from Houston to Austin for MS. I keep the number in my bag to remind me to keep pushing! Cycling is a great way to add extra stamina for dancers too, if anyone's interested!


Button. The remains from some St. Patrick's Day shows... 


Ursula Celano notebook. For taking notes on trends that I see and for developing choreography, I never leave the house for dance without this adorable notebook!

J'dore Feisonista? Follow her!

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Keep Dancing, and Stay Fasionable Feisers!

- Moira

What's in S.J.'s Dance Bag?

Our next dance bag comes from one of my favorite Irish Dance bloggers... S.J. from RincePop! S.J. is a professional multimedia journalist by day, Irish dancer by night. 

Isn't she lovely?

She currently works at The Buffalo News as multimedia content coordinator for Buffalo.com and regularly blogs for IrishCentral.com. She also maintains RincePop.com. Her Irish dance-themed news articles, videos and blogs have appeared in Hornpipe Magazine, Feis America Magazine, The Irish Times, The Buffalo Irish Times, I Heart That Dance blog, MichaelFlatley.com and Diddlyi.com -- and RincePop.com and  IrishCentral.com, of course!

S.J. dances with the Clann Na Cara School of Irish Dance in Buffalo and is a newbie flamenco dancer. 

And without further ado, let's see what's in S.J's Dance bag...

I've tried so many time to clean out my bag, a hardy medium-sized L.L. Bean Tote, but I always end up stuffing it full of dance necessities and other goofy junk. 

Here's what I found in my dance bag today, in no particular order: hard shoes, ghillies, flamenco shoes (I just took up the Spanish dance form this year), shoe horn, headband, sock glue, baby powder, stray socks, deodorant, shoe polish, lotion, anti-bac, sewing kit, lip balm, pen, permanent marker, Ar Rince Foirne and Back to Back booklets (gotta have all the ceili steps on hand to know if the top gent turns clockwise), mini makeup kit from Sephora, digital camera (to record my teacher's steps when I know I won't remember them), hair pins, duct and electrical tape, iPod and little hamburger speaker (IT REALLY COMES IN HANDY),blinged shoe buckles, water bottle and two notebooks -- a Moleskine and an Ursula Celano, which I won from IrishFireside.com.

Now, to explain myself. The hamburger speaker seems extravagant, I know. But I've actually used it a few times at competitions when I need to go through steps and don't want earbuds dangling from my head. It's nice -- like having a tiny boombox that fits in a pocket. And as for the two notebooks, I'm a journalist by trade, so I'm always interviewing people or writing down potential story ideas. So one of the notebooks acts as a reporter's notebook, and the other is more of a dancer journal.


Love S.J. and this dance bag? [I do!] Here's more from S.J. on the web:
RincePop [blog]
RincePop [facebook]
@RincePop [twitter]
Irish Dance and Pop Culture [blog on Irish Central]
SJVelasquez.com [tumblr]


Keep Dancing,
Moira