As a costume designer and fabricator,  I  founded Ides of March Design Group, Ltd in 1996. At that time I was mainly doing Interior Decorating, there’s not a lot of Mardi Gras work in Colorado! You can read more about my journey back to the costume world in 1999.

I was dissatisfied with fabric selections when I returned to costuming for Mardi Gras. In 2003 I began “toying” with the idea of creating raised surface patterns on textiles.

The patterns had to sparkle, but I absolutely hate working with glitter. And that is why I developed  emBELLAtex® paste and process.  The glitter is contained in the paste so it does not flake off!

In 2004, I began incorporating emBELLAtex® into my designs for the Krewe of Contraband’s annual Ball in Lake Charles, LA. The Krewe gave me my dream theme for the 2007 Ball, Jewels of Faberge. I knew the time was perfect for emBELLAtex’s debut. I believed I now had the ability to recreate Faberge’s goldwork on fabric. What do you think? (click the link to view the Fabergé gowns)

The Fabergé gowns were the turning point in my work. You can see pictures of the Fabergé gowns along with the collections that followed on Ides of March Design Facebook page.