Recycling Experiment

Fill a sink with water


Add a cardboard box and let it soak





Then it will just all peel off - like material and when dry - gives you soft pieces to play with.

So I am playing making tags.



Just experimenting with textures, stamps, and layout. The button really is a vintage complete with the vintage cotton.

I haven't punched the holes in a couple of them yet as I am not sure if I want to layer them on top of something else.




The back of the label has label too!


Images are by Crafty Individuals - People and Places Book

Do you get times when you just can't feel inspired?

Well I am going through one of those spells now.

I forced myself out into the studio this afternoon - but really couldn't think of anything I wanted to do.

After sitting on my office chair eating a choc - ice and just lazily spinning around, my eye fell on my mobile phone - wishing it to ring - but it didn't!

It's ugly - so I made a bag to hide it!



Yet another recycling project.

I want to try to make bag - or two, so for now I am just playing about on a smaller scale, seeing what happens on a huge learning curve.

I found a bit of cut up curtain with the lining still intact, so that made life easier. Just cut out a bag free hand,to include the hem. So it was already lined! Sewed it inside out like a tube, flattened it and the sowed the bottom seam - so that there was a seam at the back in the middle and the bottom. It is so long since I had used my sewing machine, I had forgotten how it worked!

My heart is just not 'in' to doing anything at the moment - but you have to try don't you?

I frayed some scraps and stamped the cream piece and sewed those on. The vintage image is printed on Pabric.


She is holding a silver feather charm - I wish I had a 'flapper' fan for her to hold instead!

I partly covered her with netting to 'soften' the image a bit. The light makes it look like there is glue all over it - but there isn't its how the netting on top of the nylon underneath which has made it look like that.

At the back I have punched two holes applied silver rivets (or whatever those round rings are called) and threaded through a chain. This will enable me to attach it to a bag handle (inside) so that I can find it easily, or to thread a lanyard or ribbon or chain through it - so that I can wear it around my neck when I am gardening etc.

Well I had better go and clear up my mess and pack everything away. Phew, I wish we could have a nice cool day!

I bet you thought........................

It's all very well doing one side of the purse - but what does the back look like. As I intend to use it every day, I spent some time yesterday late afternoon playing - when the heat had died down - it was so peaceful in my garden

I am struggling a bit without many scraps to play with so the back is just plain and simple.

Firstly I had to cover the now very thin material underneath and patch up where it was falling apart. Then I cut a piece of scrap cotton to cover the material of the purse - using Bondaweb to give it support. Next a layer of the thin grey net again bonded.


On top of that a scrap - and it was the only scrap I had - of red thin nylon which I have coloured with Promarkers which I hope makes it look like a stylistic rose - and tucked under some more petals which I cut out of the grey and mounted on Vylene (sp).

I didn't have enough to cover the whole side, so found a piece of fibre thread kindly given to me by my friend 'Lazy Kay' a year or so ago - and who is not the slightest bit lazy I hasten to add! There was just enough to cover the gap, so I drizzled on some fabric friendly glue then patted on the fibre.

Voila - job done. It sits lovely in the hand and feels soft and comfy - sounds silly - but you don't want anything sticking out and scratchy - it might put you off spending!

Worn out shabby little coin purse - now Shabby Chic

The Lots to Do Challenge
this week is a 'free choice' so here is my entry.

Haruko, my daughter in law, bought me this purse as a present from Japan many many years ago. I am afraid that I loved it so much it wore out!


For once - this looks better in the photo than in real life. But it is faded, and worn - but being the sentimental old thing that I am, I treasure gifts, whatever they are, and wanted to keep using it as it means such a lot to me.

So from Japanese - to Shabby Chic!



More teensy bits of scraps. Layering with Bondaweb to make it strong so that it lasts a lot longer.

I cut out roughly a piece of cream cotton and frayed it, and bonded straight onto the purse in one go to make a strong base and to reinforce the thinning material of the purse. Then I made up a little collage of layers of netting, thin nylon, etc, fraying each layer.

I cut some transparent nylon scraps into leaf and petal shapes and bonded those to Vylene (sp?) to give them strength so that they kept their shape - then added little oddments of lace.

The image is a free one but cut right down to just the face and neck - and printed onto Pabric adhesive material sold by Crafty Computer Paper. This is different to the dry Decal, which is more like a film. The Pabric is a material and boy does it print well on an inkjet printer. I couldn't believe my eyes. I only have an old printer and don't use the manufacturer's ink refills as they are so expensive for the use I get out of it. The images printed better than they do on paper! The face looks and feels like material with a sticky back - and was so easy to use! I used lace etc to the right hand side where her shoulders would be to create the impression of her dress with a collar. Her 'scarf' is a tiny scrap of ribbon - that was so difficult to tie!


I think I might have messed it up with the 'Divine' stamped on material, but its not so 'in your face' when you see in on the purse - and I can easily remove it by warming it and peeling it off - I will look out for something else to go there
instead. Edited to say - that I have taken of the 'Divine' - easy peasy - and will re-work that part of the purse. Will have a play around with it.

The finished purse is now soft and strong - with the layers of materials - looks a bit harsh in this photo - but that's because it is a close up!

What it does mean to me is that I now have a purse that I can use again - with a new lease of life!

Updated photo

I needed a bit of distraction this afternoon so played around with the purse some more.



I have changed the lace around her neck and added some sequins - just happened to find one of those tiny little bags they attach to clothing with a few oddments in. Why I kept them I never know - but I do now - they will come in handy. I also outlined all the leaves with Rose Pink Promarker pen.

Still not 100% happy with it - but for a first attempt I should be!

Thanks for looking and your comments

Bamboo tile - disaster

I had a real disaster after making this pendant. As an afterthought I decided to spray it with a varnish - which worked fine - but this is the 'before' photo so it doesn't look show.

I also decided to super-glue the bottom bead in place. I have done this many times before when I made lots for Christmas - and never had any problems - but today was different.

I managed to drop the bottle of Superglue (without it's screw top lid on) as I was using a cocktail stick to apply it, because the nozzle got glued up months ago.

It poured all over my craft mat and things on it (luckily not many) but it also poured over my hand as I went to pick it up with kitchen roll. The result was all my fingers got stuck together, my wedding and engagement rings did too - and my nails were stuck to my fingers - not nice.

If ever it happens to you - get your hands into warm soapy water as quickly as you can, use lots of soap and a nail brush. I manage to get all my fingers apart fairly easily - the rings took a bit longer and the glue under the rings longer still! The next step is to use lots of nail polish remover and soak the glue off - then repeat the soapy scenario. I am still picking off flakes! My hands and fingers are so sore - but thank goodness I did not get any on the top of my hands - that would have been a total disaster!


The image looks lovely and crisp and darker in real life - again my lousy photography - it might have something to do with it being a bright sunny day. (I am running out of excuses now!)


Just a plain bamboo tile, the image printed onto dry decal paper from Crafty Computer Paper as before, cut to size and applied. I used a black pen to outline the edges and sides, a black 'thong' threaded through and a bead at the bottom to finish it off.

I am so pleased with this 'in the flesh' as it were, that I am going to keep it myself and wear it.

Unlike the super glue - which is in the bin - and I will never use it again!

Recycling - tomato puree tube

Or is it upcycling now?

Still dabbling with metal after the tutes in the Time for Crafting on line magazine.

How can you get a good photo of shiny metal - I wish I knew.




You will have to trust me when I say that it really does look better in real life. The image I applied using dry decal paper from Crafty Computer Papers is so much clearer than it looks on here, and doesn't look as shiny, as I used a bit of black alcohol ink to make it look vintage!

I cut two pieces of metal - one for the front - and embossed one for the back, then glued them together. Added the image - which has a glue backing so makes it easy to do - crimped the edges with pliers and punched a hole, added the rivet - job done! Great fun

Shabby Chic Experiments

I have been playing around today - the first time in days that I have had any time to do so - and I have made this Shabby Chic Brooch.

I can't seem to photograph things very well lately - maybe I need a new camera!

I was inspired by seeing Lilla's work so thought I would have a go - but without all her lovely vintage materials she has collected over many years.




I started with a scrap of material - thick cotton and green. I cut two pieces one for the back and one for the front, which I frayed, and bound them together with Bondaweb, and stitched on a brooch pin to the back.

I chose two different scraps of netting - a fine mesh and an open one, and bonded those together, between which I put a piece of thick plastic which came with the decal paper. Using Dry Decal paper from Crafty Computer Papers I printed out an image and it is self adhesive so it stuck really well to the material.

I 'poured' some seed beads in her hair and 'pooled' some Diamond Glaze over them - they look lovely 'in real life' and really catch the light.

I finished it off with two corners of gold mesh (top right and bottom left) - which in the photo, for some reason, look cream!