Shirt Bleaching and Shirt Apron

 

Last year ( 3-24- 2022) I bought two "flannel' shirts from the thrift store. I was impressed with the bleached flannel shirts that were all the craze.

Mistake Number 1, it isn't flannel. The bleach caused the fabric to become weaker. The other shirt (not shown) turned out better. From my profile you know I recycle and upcycle. I'll see what I can do with it before I throw it away. Sooo, contrary to what I said above I tucked it away. 

January 21, 2023

Then I saw this;

allcreated.com

I've needed another craft apron for some time. This will be perfect. Getting paint on it will only add to it's character. 

BTW- Finding a REAL flannel shirt is pretty difficult. They don't make them the way they used to.

That's it***

Faux Agate Bracelet

Inspiration not duping. There's a difference. Inspiration-I like what I see and would like to try something similar.  Duping-  Intentionally making something as close to the original as possible.

Hard to believe but, this bracelet is rock hard and none of the shells are falling off. Maybe I should add a necklace and earrings.😏

P.S.  Next time I'm trying Epsom Salts as the stones.

That's it ***

Burlap On Stage

Burlap is back.

I got my inspiration from

Poppy Kosh

Manila Extract

and                           here

 I printed my own burlap coffee bag look by pulling up a graphic on the computer and printing it onto burlap. It's important to make sure all of the edges are taped down to avoid the ravels from the burlap yucking up the printer.

When was the last time you saw thread for 59cents? I took a chance using it.  By the way, it was a new spool that had never been opened. I thought it might be rotten after having it for so long but  it worked out fine.

I ironed interfacing to the backs of all pieces
to give it some body.

I fused lace onto the two pockets so that they'd be easily seen inside the purse. I sewed one pocket on the front and back inside.

 

This is the part I was reluctant about.  I've only set grommets once and it was so long ago, I needed a refresher so I contacted YouTube. I don't know what I'd do without it. As stated before, no fabric stores so I got the grommets from Harbor Freight.     

                                                                                            

Decided to make a purse charm

Also, I made a slide to go on the bag closing.

Ta Da ! All done.

Overall, This project was more trouble than it was worth. But, it was also a great learning experience.
THAT'S IT***

Vintage Inspiration Bracelet

I was inspired by  this vintage bracelet at Estate beads.com

Since I'd come across another empty cardboard tape holder??? I decided I'd make another bracelet. I had eggshells that I've used in other projects and at first I was going to paint them with acrylic paint and let them dry.  But, maybe because the Easter weekend was not far away, I decided against it and chose to dye the shells the old-fashioned way.



Acrylic paint was my first idea to paint the eggshells. Too messy.



Eggshells that were dyed with food coloring, vinegar and water.



I reused 4 foam cups that I'd had from my frequent fast food visits.  I put vinegar, hot water and food coloring in each. I mixed a little yellow and green to get the neon green color you see.. After about an hour I rinsed the shells in cold water and spread them out on paper towels to dry. I came back a few times and spread them around so that they would dry evenly. I placed each color in a separate bag or recycled junk mail envelope. (I save those too.)

I painted the cardboard tube inside and outside with bronze mettallic acrylic paint and let it dry.



No reason to throw away the leftover shells so I'm saving them in this empty pharmacy bottle.

  Taking a few eggshells of each color, I placed them on paper and crushed them  with a jar into manageable sized pieces suitable for the bracelet. Using white glue, I painted a thick coat onto the outside of the bracelet and rolled it in the eggshells. I did this in sections until I'd coated the entire bracelet. 

After it was dry, I went over it with a watered down acylic black paint. I'd black wash it then blot it until it looked the way I wanted it to.I still wanted a bit of the bronze to show through.


You can see there are some jagged shells along the edges . These will be filed off later.



I propped up the bracelet and allowed it to dry.

I use toothpicks and a piece of foam as drying tools. This way I can paint or seal all sides and let it all dry at one time. I used several coats of sealant allowing each to dry in between.  This entire project was done over a course of days. It probably could have taken less time but I wasn't in a hurry and I was doing other things.

And now the BIG REVEAL



Outside of bracelet



The inspiration bracelet has a matte finish. I wanted more shine. So I used gloss sealant.



This shows a little of the inner side of the bracelet.




I'm pleased as punch with the results. It turned out great.











If you're wondering how to PREP EGGSHELLS  for craft use, it's very simple. After using your egg contents, place the shells in a cup of water with about 2 TBS of vinegar.  Microwave it for two minutes. When it's cool enough to handle, gently peel down an edge to remove the membrane. This is important. If the membrane isn't removed then your color or glue won't take hold.

Another to add to the collection.
That's It ***