Upcycled purse

Round 2 of Crafting with the Stars Wallflowers and Crafting from the Sidelines:



So because I was cooking all weekend and only had today to do the upcycled project, I had to look around the house for some inspiration. Here it goes:

3 old wool sweaters + old belt + old sheet = Purse?

No way!

Way!!

Not only FUN but FUNctional!

And it is washable, just remove knotted straps and agitate on the delicate cycle

This is how it got did:

I felted the sweaters

Cut off the arms (ouch!) and neck to make the body

Cut out a lining and added pockets from the old sheet

Used an old braided belt for the straps

Sewed the bottom using sleeve section and a blanket stitch to make it look flirty and flared

Used the neck of the felted brown sweater to make a rosette and the cuff of the green felted sweater to make the leaves.


Upcycled...Way up!

I'm linking up to Round 2 of Crafting from The Sidelines being hosted at b3designs , the voting poll is on the right sidebar.

Crafting with the Stars

I get votes by clicking on my link so the more clicks the more votes.

Thanks so much for all of your support. IT has been great fun so far!

A vote for my purse is a vote for the earth! (Get it recycling!?!)

Always being renewed,

Wine Weekend

My husband and his brother have been making wine since 2006. Every October heralds the crushing of the grapes followed the next weekend by the pressing. It is a weekend filled with pressing grapes, good food, and lots of laughter. Each year the pressing of the grapes lasts all day and friends come and go as their day allows. Some begin the day with us and some end the day with us, some begin and end with us. We love it and strive to create an atmosphere where those who come can relax and new memories can be created. This year my sister, brother-in-law and nephew were able to come, which always makes for great fun. So here are some pics to enjoy. Maybe you can come next year, we will have a glass ready for you.

Some of the crates, I see an upcycling project somewhere in the future....

MMMMM, crushed grapes

The Press

Natural Beauty

My nephew, sister and me

My talented brother in law made the labels

This years label. It may be the keeper.

The family name means little birds in Italian. Can you see the grape hologram?

 Thanks G. David. You are the best!

Always being renewed,

My 50's Pink and Green Powder Room

We did the powder room about 5 years ago but I wasn't blogging then and it is such a big change that I had to post this! I still love this room and spend a lot of time there.. and not how you think! Go here to find out why...  It was the coat closet before the previous owners transformed it into a powder keg, er I mean room. So let me tell ya' if your a big man, your knees are touchin' the sink or the door.


There are no words......... This is mid-demolition because that is all I could find in my stack of pics. But picture fake green  tile on all three walls and floor. That white "mark" on the right wall is actually the lath showing through. We had to replace that entire part because the plaster was so bad. We also wanted to use the wood floor and seal it well but a certain small had permeated the wood so it had. to. go.

So, So, bad.

So, are you ready?

Badda Bing! Great!

We used left over tile from another bathroom re-do so that saved us some money although how much would it really cost to tile a postage stamp? 

Cream walls with black trim. Yes Black!  And the cream makes it look like a walk-in coat closet right!?!

I actually suggested the cream and black color scheme to one of my good friends, Cristi,  for her daughters bedroom and it looks fantastic. She added pops of black and hot pink in the bedspread and all around the room. Great work, love that girl!

Painted a 5 inch black border to make the mirror look bigger. $10 at Target

Little pops of black around the little room. I sewed the toile skirt from material I had laying around and then attached it with velcro to the sink.  Now the sink is not standing there with her pipes all exposed. She's much more appropriately dressed

We painted solid circles and open circles of different sizes in the same shade of cream but in a high gloss all over the walls. It's like a little secret =0)

                                 

My great big little powder room

What I have come to know:

Greatness is not related to size. It is related to how we address challenges because it is the challenges in life that are going to change us. And we can allow them to change us for the good or we can allow challenges to have no effect, or worse, make us bitter. Bitterness+No effect = no growth.

And because I will never grow beyond my 5' 4.267" (every little bit helps!) height, I choose to grow my character because that is the legacy I leave to others. And I want God to leave an EPIC legacy through me.

1 Peter 2: 1&2

Therefore rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation

Love, Love, Love you ladies o' mine!

Always being renewed,

Knock, Knock. Who's There? A Knock Off Challenge

Knock it off baby! We need to find something that we really like but wouldn't pay for it. Then show everyone how we made it by our little ol' selves.  Here is my entry for the Crafting from the Sidelines Knock Off challenge.   I was in Nashville when I found out this was due on Monday, Oct. 3rd. SO I was a bit under the glue gun so to speak, to get er' done. I had to scour the Internet because I had no reading material to speak of, unless you count the hotel menus, so to Z Gallerie website I went a visitin.

So many cool things to covet. I know the Word says thou shalt not covet, which is why in general I stay away from those sites. But today I was going to make something that would look like $145 but only cost me $12! So here is the Knock off  Phoenix Mirror by Z Gallerie. You can go to the website to see it in detail.

And here is mine knockin' it's block off!

Here's how it went down:

You will need:

-10" round mirror

-20 gauge floral wire (3 sets of 30)

-1 roll of 1.5 masking tape

-Silver and gold spray paint

( I started with just silver and added the gold when I realized it needed to look more Champagne finish than silver finish)

-small fake bead necklace, like one used for dress up

(I did not have this in the photo as I added this detail later after looking at the Z Gallerie mirror reeeaaalllllyyy close)

-Only 3 hours to make and assemble!! Does not include the drying time for the glue

Roll out tape to 15 inches and cut lay wire as shown

Cover with another 15" piece of tape. Press along the entire length very firmly to keep together and show wire well

Now cut into two pieces.

Now make 20 more of the singles then cut in two and you will have 40 individual "leaves"

Now do the same thing but make them 9" long. You will make 20 sets as well. This only took me 1 hour to do all 80 leaves so just get some good music on, some wine and then get an assembly line goin'. Although be careful, wine might make your leaves look a little screwy after glass #2. At least it does for me.

Cut all of the leaves like this and then spray paint both sides. Do the Silver first and then add the gold over top lightly until you get the Champagne look.

Make a paper circle 1/4" smaller than you circle diameter. Mine is 10" so I made the circle 9.75 inches.

Tape it in place underneath the circle very well and spray paint with silver and gold like the leaves.

Make a template like above. There is a circle at 10" and at 14" from the circle center

Now smoke a good cigar so you can use the case to roll your leaves. I am just kidding, a test tube will work in a pinch as well (cuz' we all got test tubes lyin' around the house, no?).

Roll the large leaves down to 10"

Roll the small leaves down to 6"

Glue one small on top of one large using the template as your guide for placement. You should have 40 sets of double leaves. I also cut off the excess wire so there would not be too much bulk behind the mirror.

Cut out two cardboard circles the size of the mirror. Set one aside and use the other to glue your leaves onto. I ended up using 18 on each half of the mirror. I hot glued them in place once I liked how they were spaced 

Use two of the discarded wire to make a hanger

Make two holes in the cardboard and thread the ends from the back of the circle. Twist and tape down. If you do not do this step the wires WILL scratch your mirror.

My favorite glue. Generously apply this to the circle with the leaves attached and then glue the other cardboard circle on top. Place more glue on your circle and place mirror on it and  place heavy object on it to weigh it down.   Wait 24 hours.  In the mean time spray paint beaded necklace with same Champagne treatment and let dry. You can now hot glue the necklace around the mirror. 

This is it drying...... and drying........... and drying........ and d..r..y..i..n..g.....ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Wake up refreshed and

hang this Knock out Knock off on your wall in some fabulous place that everyone will look at say

"Ooooooh, Aaaaaaah" (My bedroom DOES NOT make people say OOOh, and AAAh. It is so sad to look at so this mirror is making it feel a bit more snappy)

Hanging in my Bedroom b/c I needed something over the bed more than over the mantel in my LR. I like both  though. See this mirror is so versatile!

" Is that a Z Gallerie Mirror you have there?" "I've always wanted one of those but could never afford it."

Well, now you can.

VOTING begins on Tues. Oct. 4rd and the polls will be open for 24 hours at Crafting from the Sidelines!

VOTING is open for the Wallflowers participating in Crafting with the Stars on Oct. 5th and will also be open only 24 hours.

So PLEEEEEZE vote.That's all I have to say b/c I have no campaign money left to hang posters.

Linking arms with these blissfully beautiful bloggers:

  Shabby Nest                          
                               Dollar Store Crafts


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Always being renewed,