Upcycled scarf tops

I've been busy upcycling vintage scarves into tops :) Great as beach cover-ups, with jeans, or even dressed up for a night out:










Now available in my Folksy store (though I saved one for me!)

Marie Antoinette bib necklace

I still had 4 pieces of filigree left from my Altered Element upcycling project so thought I would turn them into a bib necklace to match the gothic cuff.
Firstly I cut a bib shape from some thick black felt and did some random free motion stitching. I couched some metal chain from my previous creative textile pack (from Altered Element and such a bargain!) around the edges, and finished the top with black satin ribbon to form ties.
For the central filigree square, I prepared it in the same way as the previous mermaid, flattening it with a chasing hammer, then adhering and glazing the image (which is an Itkupilli image, see my side bar).
The remaining 3 filigree squares needed decorations to fill their spaces since I had removed their acrylic gems. I found the perfect solution in Crafty Notions Glazes, available from Altered Element. I used mauve and black. A couple of layers were needed as the surface was irregular due to the glue from the gems but the end result was beautiful enamel-like colour. My filgree squares were then stitched to the bib and a little black ribbon bow completed the look.
Perfect for a stately occasion :)

Yesterday's dyeing

I love how these have turned out, especially the girly one :)



And a cute pink nappy

Altered Element - upcycled mermaid bracelet

My upcycling package from Altered Element contained a huge wooden beaded necklace and a chunky filigree ex-bracelet with garish pink acrylic crystals - neither of which are to my taste, in colour or style! My immediate thought with the beads was to attempt to dye them black so I threw them into some procion mx dye I was using for another project where they entirely failed to dye. But the experiment was not in vain, as I discovered that instead their own colour was washing out. Several kettles of water later and I had some washed out blue beads just perfect for a seaside theme.
I took the filigree bracelet sections and started to remove the ghastly gems. I managed to prise a few off with pliers but resorted to sticking them in the oven to melt the remaining ones (warning: smells very nasty, you might want to take safety precautions).
Then I took one section of filigree and flattened it with a chasing hammer. This created a flat frame for an image of a mermaid (Artchix Studios, Altered Element sells a variety of Artchix images for collage). I adhered it using glossy accents and filled in the back for security. When dry, I glossed over the mermaid image.
The faded beads and filigree frame were threaded on black elastic to create a summery accessory, just right for the bank holiday.

Fabulous Artsycrafts weekend

Spent a wonderful weekend at Artsycrafts, run by Leandra of PaperArtsy and Lin of LB Crafts - lovely time playing with inks, paints and metal. I will upload my pics later but here's a peak at one of mine borrowed from the PaperArtsy twitter feed:


Thank you to everyone for making it all such a learning experience and so much fun.

Altered Element Design Team - Antiqued cuff

My Altered Element Design Team parcel came yesterday, containing the usual 2 packages - craft supplies and upcycling supplies.
My craft supples were:
Decoupaint Antik - reed
Decoupaint Patina - old gold
Craftynotions Puff Paint
Karantha stamp - floral texture no1
Twiddleybitz - small shadow box


My upcycling supplies were:
Chunky wooden necklace
5 large filigree links with pink acrylic gems
5 crystal flowers on a chain


Lots to work with there!
I decided to use the puff paint separately from the rest of it's parcel. I still had plenty of fabric and lace/ribbons from last month's upcycling project so thought I'd team them up.
Firstly, I applied puff paint to a strip of upholstery fabric through a crafter's Workshop Template 'Mini Flower Frenzy' (available from Altered Element) and heated it with a heat gun to puff it up.I decided it was too starkly white so 'aged' it with a touch of the Decoupaint.. I sewed the painted fabric , layered with ribbons, onto a piece of William Morris fabric. The cuff needed some embellishments so I added the crytal flowers, carefully cutting them from their chain links. Lastly, I added a calico backing and button closure.
I'm enjoying these cuff variations :)

Nappies!

Made 18 hand dyed organic bamboo velour nappies yesterday and spent the best part of this afternoon putting resin snaps on. These are being sold as part of Buy British Month on Cloth Nappy Addicts and will be in my Folksy store tonight.

Buy British Month on CNA

This month is Buy British months on Cloth Nappy addicts, the forum I'm a moderate on. It's a chance to showcase the products of the work at home mothers who frequent the board. Do feel free to come and have a look around.
http://clothnappyaddicts.co.uk/forum/index.php