Janie's Oasis

    How did this all come about?  Well that is a story in itself, especially for a cyber challenged, user friendly person like me.  I am no nerd that is for sure.  But I'm getting ahead of myself, let me start at the beginning.....  
    At the very beginning of my company, Designs By Janie.  Nearly ten years ago the belly dancers of the greater Reno, Nevada area decided to ban together.  We would still keep our separate businesses, but would work together to bring workshops and shows to Reno.  Well the organized togetherness of a Guild didn't work out in the long run, but it was certainly successful in bringing the Northern Nevada Belly Dancers together.  We are like an extended family now, instead of an organization.
    Wanting to do more than the Guild could afford, Wiggle Hips magazine was born and its parent company Two Old Bags.  As more workshops came to Reno, Designs By Janie was born.  It bore no resemblance to the company it is today, but you must crawl before you can walk.  Designs By Janie was born in 1995, but as my husband says it was my play thing -- just a fun hobby.  I made a few things & I sold a few things.  I was a vender at Haneefa Guild's last two workshops, but I could barely fill a table.  And so it was for the first couple of years.
    In 1997 I got serious, very serious.  I designed the very first comfortable body stocking.  Then I started making switch plate covers and writing books.  With the help of my friends, I diversified my stock to carry music, videos, zills, costume pieces, etc.  We decided we would not sell anything that we didn't completely believe in.  We wouldn't just carry an item, because they gave us a good deal.  We either make it ourselves or have 'road tested' it ourselves.  Generally we know the person who made it or trust the person who distributes it.  So now we live by our company motto:  "We only sell what we believe in."
    I have been on the wonderful road that has lead to self employment ever since.  I do make my living in Belly Dance.  To be honest, I had no choice in the self employment department.  Working in the casinos as a dealer was adversely effecting my body, I was in pain every day and under a lot of stress.  So now my only job is belly dance; but under that category I manufacture, write books, teach seminars, and private lessons.  Life is very good!

The First Booklet Ever Written About Body Stockings is Born!!

    My newest booklet, "Designs By Janie's Comfortable Body Stockings: How to Use, Dye, and Embellish Them" was debuted at Rakkasah West to rave reviews.  The booklet started off to be instructions on how to wear a Style A -- the one that attaches to your bra.  Then it just started growing.  It became the answers to all the questions I had ever been asked about the body stockings including how to wear them and how to care for them.  Then I added how to make them more a part of your costume by adding instructions on dyeing and/or embellishing them.  And of course I couldn't leave out my wonderful satisfied customers!  So I added their comments and pictures.  So now I have a 26 page booklet for sale.

 
My wonderful husband is my photographer and quite frankly a bit of a brat, but that takes the stress out of a photo session.   Photo one: everything is perfect -- OOPS still have my glasses on.  Photo two:  Wait! let me take them off.  Photo three: Smile not smirk


Finally the perfect shot for the booklet cover!!

    As any author can tell you writing a booklet or book is like giving birth, each volume is your little baby.  You worry over it and struggle to get it finished.  Then when you get every word just the way you want it, you send it off to your editors and cross your fingers that they won't bleed all over it with their red pens.  And of course they always do bleed all over it.  Then you start making the changes, at least the ones you agree with.  You find you spelled a word wrong every time you wrote it and it was something Spell Check couldn't catch.  Most of the time the changes needed are really little things that just give your publication more polish.  But I can tell you the first time you see all that red your heart sinks and your first thoughts are "they hate it".  But I trust my editors, who are Dawn Devine Brown, Pat Cahill, and of course Chris Proebstel.
    So now I have the photos contributed by friends (customers), all the edits have been made, photos taken by me and my favorite photographer Bill Midgley and I sit down at the computer to put the whole thing together.  It takes hours and hours and hours.  Print out the Master copy and start the printing process.  I do everything myself, because I'm a self publisher.  And that is how you give birth to your new book.
    My body stocking booklet can be purchased from me at the Designs By Janie web site, my shop, or wherever I'm vending.  If you buy the booklet and a body stocking, I'll knock off a dollar on the price!  You can also purchase the booklet through Scheherezade Imports.  It sell for only $5.00!!!  Get your copy today.

     This is the video I would have made if I had had the time and finances.  Now how is that for a review?  Well it is true.  This video has all the elements I would have put in a costuming video.  It has a great fashion show with beautiful models in beautiful costumes (all of them dancers), many modeling their own costumes — the lucky ladies.  Then Joyce Daniels and Lisa LaMonica take you step by step through the making of a bra and belt set.  This is the basic set done with appliqués and pre-beaded fringe, the kind most of us really make. 
    They also go into designing for your figure type using real models, so you can see what they are saying.  In a book you have to use sketches or pictures, but on video you get to use models that turn on their own.  The big advantage is you can see which model is your body type.  I haven’t seen this in a video before.  And they emphasize the detail and the design which will flatter each body type.
    In the construction section of the video they really discuss in detail each step as they do it.  You feel that you are right there in the room with them.  These are the time tested techniques they use to make the kind of costume that holds up for years of dancing.  Yes, I said years, I have seen Ali Baba costumes that are still dancing after 14 years.  They discuss each item they use in the construction and even include a written list of the supplies so you don’t have to stop the tape to write out your shopping list.  Also included as a bonus is a belt pattern (the same one as used in the video).
    Buy this video, it is well worth the money and make this costume.  It will probably take you a lot longer than the hour and a half of the video, but remember they edited the video.  You have the advantage of stopping the video where ever you stop.  Or even going back and looking at the step again.
    You can get this video from at Designs By Janie for only $45.00, money well spent

Editor's note:   Joyce Daniels passed away a few months after this video was finished .  Lisa LaMonica now owns Ali Baba Studios and continues to make the fabulous costumes Ali Baba has always been known for.  Lisa is planning a second video soon and will be teaching a costuming workshop on "Beading Your Costume" at the 8th Annual Wiggles of the West Belly Dance contest in Reno, Nevada in July.