Painted Shoes #FAIL

Not all craft projects work out. 

Even when you follow the directions to a T.

Grosgrain Total Shoe Re-Do

I bought some shoes for $5 at Goodwill.

I painted them bright green.

Used primer, couple coats of paint and a couple coats of sealant.

Waiting between each step for them to dry.

They looked great.

Until I wore them for the first time.

*Sorry for the crappy pics, I'm limited to my cell phone at the moment.*

Not sure what I did wrong.

Should I have used Modge Podge instead of acrylic sealer?

I thought about sanding the shoes first with fine grain sandpaper to rough up the leather to make the paint hold. 

Or I wonder if I tried the same technique I used to paint my vintage bag.

I haven't had any problems with the paint chipping off the bag.

BUT

Purses don't really endure the same wear and tear as shoes.

I definately want to try this again, with a little tweaking.

And I want to try out Kathleen's other Shoe Re-Do's as well.

LINK

Hoppy Easter!

Happy Easter!!

The Easter Bunny has been to our house 

and

SHE embellished this cute little basket from the Dollar Tree.

I expect to find a chocolate covered Goose when I get out of bed in the morning.

Good Night 

and 

Love from mine to yours!

Frame Makeover!

No before pictures.

Why?

Because... I forgot. 

Meh...

Anyway, it was overcast but not raining today, so in an effort to get us some "fresh" air, I decided to spray paint some frames that have been waiting for a makeover.  Nothing like the smell of deadly chemicals in the spring air. Ahhhh ::sarcasm::

One was just a generic frame that I got in the family Christmas gift exchange. It was brown, all my frames were black.  And another frame, holding my prized possession, that I've just never been inspired enough to to anything with.

Hubs bought me a 1955 Marilyn Monroe nude calendar for my 18th birthday.  I am a HUGE Marilyn fan...  For years it just sat in the package in was given to me in, unframed but still loved. Years later, Hubs got it framed for me but it didn't really "go" and he figured I would probably craft it up anyway.  So it sat, for several more years, plain, in the frame, waiting. 

Until today.

My prized Marilyn got a makeover!! 

  

Apparently burlap is all the rage in crafting right now (see UCreate and Tatertots & Jello), so the other day at Fun Junk when I saw some vintage potato sacks for cheap, I snatched up a few. Not with anything in mind, just something new to try out and play with.

So... anyway, I was painting my frames and I remembered my burlap...

And then, I remembered this photo of Marilyn...

and the famous quote that she would look beautiful "even in a potato sack."

So, snip snip snip, I cut my burlap to size, trying to keep as much of the print showing as I could.

So those die-hard Marilyn fans would "get it."

Unfortunately, as I was carrying the frame outside, I broke it on the door frame.

I glued it back together, but there was still a small sliver of wood missing.

So........

When all else fails,

COVER IT!

A pretty flower will always do the trick!

Isn't she pretty now?

Can't wait to put her up in the bedroom. 

Don't worry, this isn't displayed in the house for all the world to see!

I may not be the most modest... but at least I try to keep up appearances. 

HA!

Craft Remission

So my plan today was to be lazy.

Just do nothing. I busted my butt yesterday cleaning and today I wanted to relax.

Last night we lost power and Goose woke up in the middle of the night scared so I brought her to bed with Hubs and I. Which means that I got no sleep. But Goose slept until almost 11!! I got up at 9, did some Wii Fit and went back to bed for a bit.

Then Goose got up and we watched cartoons. Well, she watched cartoons and I fell back asleep on the couch. I woke up around lunch time-ish, whenever that was. Made some lil smokies for lunch and then watched "Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar." Oh, its one of my favorite movies. Miss Vida Boehm, Noxema Jackson, and Chichi Rodriguez. Definately one of my top 5 favorite movies EVER!

Then I sorted Gooses clothes and got a big box of things that were too small. I'll either give it to a friend or donate it to Goodwill. Now her clothes fit in her dresser again. HA!

And that was the extent of what I did today.

And really, it was more than I wanted to do.

BUT, while digging though the GW box,

I found a couple pairs of maternity jeans I was going to get rid of.

I decided I could make better use of the fabric...

I chopped up one of the legs.

The flower I'll be showing you requires 5 petals cut as shown above.

(Mine are roughly 1in tall and 2in wide)

Size according to the size of your finished flower.

Stitch them together using a running/gathering stitch. Shape and secure petals in place. Add a center. I used beads on these flowers, but you can use buttons or earrings (ya know, the ones that have lost their mate) or glue rhinestones on them... whatever suits your fancy.

>

To finish the flower off, I cut a small heart out of felt and attached it to the back of my flower with fabric glue (hot glue would work too, or you could stitch it in place). Not only does this cover the stitching but it also adds a sturdy foundation if you chose to make a brooch or hair clip.

Personally, I just attach my blooms with a plain old safety pin. Then you can wear it like a brooch or attach it to a hair tie or bobby pin it in your hair. The safety pin goes through the felt much easier than the flower fabric which is al bunched and sewn.

I like adding blooms to hats.

It can completely change the WHOLE look!

(You may remember this hat from my last Wardrobe Remix post...)

And a few more styles:

Hope you like them!

I have "grown" quite the garden recently!

Oh, how I love fleurs!

Made it Cute

Nothing too terribly special.

Took my cheap/old/loved slippers from WM and gave them a mini face lift with some scrap black sweatshirt fabric, left over from a re-fashion.

Craft Break!

I've been cleaning all day.

Well, Hubs let me sleep in ('till 11! Whoo!) and I have been cleaning non-stop since getting up. Mainly hauling my craft stuff back up to my craft room (I tend to migrate downstairs cuz I get lonely up there all by myself!) and packing up Christmas decorations. I know, I know, Hubs and I are HUGE procrastinators but the tree is out on the curb and the decorations are packed up. Except for the ornaments. Gonna wait 'till Goose is in bed to pack those away. Its a job easier done without a toddler "helping."

So while folding laundry I found this shirt that apparently Goose took the scissors too. She cut a hole right in the middle front of the shirt.

And then I decided to take a craft break, since the shirt caused a light bulb to go off in my head. I knew just how to fix it! No sewing required and done in under 15 minutes. All you need is some Heat-n-Bond, fabric scraps and an iron (and scissors and a pencil or crayon, thats what I used!)

#1 - Cut out fabric and Heat-n-Bond paper and attach as per the directions on the Heat-n-Bond.

#2 Let fabric cool then sketch your design onto the back of your paper. Cut out.

#3 Again, following the directions on the Heat-n-Bond, attach your fabric to your shirt.

Ta-Da!!

Cute, easy and you'd never know there is a huge hole under there. And Goose was pleased. She thinks I am the "Best Mommy in the WHOOOOLE World" when I make her stuff.

The strawberry fabric is vintage sugar sack fabric and the green corduroy is scrap from a vintage skirt I altered. Both fabrics are from Fun Junk!

ETA - the model/culprit!

Why I am Worth Fighting For

**Due to the personal nature of the journaling, I'm not going to post any close ups of the journaling or anything.**

Nothing scandalous, so if you can read the tiny print, your eyes are insane. This is the project my counselor told me to work on. It now lives by my bed and I try to read it at least once a day to remind myself.

I also started another little journal, less formal (not as "scrappy") to write down all the things Hubs does to show he loves me. I forget/overlook/suck at acknowledging all the good he does, so I thought it would help (both him and I) realize how much love is there.

Anyway, the album... papers are all Jenni Bowlin and the embellies ate K&Co. Purty, purty stuff, I tell ya what!











TFL!!!

Upcycled Vintage Leather Bag Tutorial

This is the first time I have ever done a craft like this.



I have this fabulous vintage bag that I got a while ago (for $4 from Fun Junk, my favorite-est place EVR) but I've always thought it needed a little sass. So I turned to my trusty internetz friend Google and searched "painting leather" and came up with several great links.

I especially like this one.
This one is pretty good too.
There is some useful information in this link as well.

1. Decide on the image you want to paint. I wanted to use a silhoutte of Goose. Let me tell you, getting her to sit still for the pic was probably the hardest part! I printed out the image and cut it out.

2. I didn't have any leather cleaner at my disposal but in one of the many links I visited yesterday I recall one saying you could use acetone (the main ingredient in fingernail polish remover). Since all I had was nail polish remover, thats what I used. I put some onto a cotton pad and lightly cleaned my work area.


3. Place your image and trace it onto the bag. (If I could have found my clear contact paper, I would have cut a stencil, I think the painting would have been easier that way.) I outlined my image in a white paint pen.


4. Gently scuff up the area you wish to paint with a fine grain sandpaper. This will help the paint stick.


5. Apply a thin base coat. I found a multi-purpose sealer made by Deco Art and a white water-based acryilic paint for porus surfaces made by Folk Art. I mixed equal parts of paint and sealer and made a base coat. This sealer is specific for adding "maximum adhesion" to acryilic paint when mixed and is a sealer when used by itself.


6. Apply 2-3 coats of the paint/sealer mixture depending on your desired coverage.


7. Apply one coat of sealer only.


8. Embellish (and let paint dry overnight)


9. Enjoy!


Since this is the first time I have ever done this, I'll keep you updated on how the bag holds up. I can tell you that I have done some "product testing" myself, including a scratch test and water test, and it seems to be hunky dory!

TFL!

Mission COMPLETION!

Finally finished the Custom Order I had on my plate. I had 2-4 weeks to complete it, and this week was my 4th week. I completely forgot to work on this at the retreat like I should have, but it's done and ready to ship and I really hope the mom likes it!

















TFL!