A GOOD CLEAN

Got a stack of Bakelite bangles the other day and some was in
desperate need of some TLC.
In this stack there’s a marbled butterscotch/banana bangle that
got some ugly scratches, so I decided to rub it over with a fine
sand paper to get rid of them or at least make it look a little bit
better.
As I’m sanding I discover that this bangle isn’t supposed to be
butterscotch/banana, it turned out it’s slightly off white with pale
brown marbling.
At first I think “Damn, I ruined it!” but after some quick research
I feel okay again, it just had the thickest patina ever.

Here you can see the work in progress…
I love how it turned out and I like that I got such a nice shine to
it by hand and not using a buffer machine.

STUFF AND THINGS

It's been a while!
Life as a new mother has been great so far, except getting a depression
after I had to stop breastfeeding. I'm still really blue but I'm not letting it
take over my daily life.

What else? Oh, I don't know, not much to tell really.
Here's a few things from the last two weeks...

I managed to snag two Cowichan sweaters recently for a really decent price.
One for me and one for Dixon. £11.50 (approx. $18) and £5 (approx. $8).

Revamped one of my belts the other day.

This handsome fella turned 6 months today!
I can't believe the time passes by this fast!!!

And a couple of selfies with Dixon for good measure. ;)

NEW ITEMS IN MY ETSY SHOP

Hi there!
I'm finally crafting again after a break due to bad swelling in my hands.
I'm fine now tho. :)

Here's some things I've made and listed in my Etsy shop.

I've also been revamping this thing, which I think might have been a
hair clip once. It made a nice exotic brooch and earring set for bright
summer days.

MORE CREATIONS

I'm in the process of sorting my hobby room out and
that also means finishing projects that's been hiding in
boxes for years.
I'm pretty much "there", just a few more things to tidy
but it looks a whole lot better than before!

Here's a few projects that I finally finished these last
two weeks...

I got this cigar box at a flea market in Sweden ages ago, the handle 
came from a broken vintage handbag and I used Fablon on the front 
and back.

A friend of mine in Russia gave me a ton of sweets at Screamin' Festival 
earlier this year because she knew how much I love the graphics of the 
wrappers after getting some in a Russian kiosk in Prague last year.
Best way to display cool stuff like this is to put it in a shadow box. :)

And here's a few more cherry necklaces!

QUICK CASE REVAMP

Revamped yet another vintage case, this time only the lid
but it sure made a difference!

ANOTHER CASE REVAMP

I’m a tad tired after concentrating on revamping this baby.
I got it in Holland for €1.50 (approx. £1.25 / $2) and there
wasn’t really anything wrong with it, except it is beige and
since I totally agree with the wise words of Sue Kreitzman,
“Don’t wear beige, it might kill you!” I decided to give it a
bit more attitude.

I used Fablon this time (last time I used drawer paper) a
bit thicker and awkward than paper but very easy to cut.

So, what do you think?

CASE REVAMP

We found this awful case in Holland and I didn't really want
it but my man insisted, which was kind of cool that he did.
This turned out to be a super fun project!

I got the funky floral drawer/shelf paper in Sweden for free
as I made a large purchase and the lady likes us because
we always come back every summer.
I didn't know what to do with it at first because I tend not
to use pretty paper and such but this time I actually did.

I think this whole revamp turned out pretty well, I mean, it
was my first attempt. I think this might be quite addictive.

All I used was craft PVA, a few brushes and a hobby knife.

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

THAT'S BETTER!

Remember the sailor cardigan I got a couple of days ago at
the car boot sale?
It had a button missing but there was a spare on the inside tag.
I didn’t want to sew that one on because they were so boring
and ugly.
Luckily I got a huge collection of cute vintage buttons and I felt
the cardigan needed a little kitsch and color, what could be more
perfect than these sailboat buttons? :D
Isn’t it funny how cute buttons can do so much for a garment?

MY LIFE LATELY

No, I haven't forgot that I have a blog, I've just been busy.
Here's a few things that kept me busy.

I made this 1940's style lurex bikini out of an ugly tunic,
started this last year and finally got around to finish it.
Totally forgot to take a before picture.

My latest bag purchase.

Me before a gig.

Made this headpiece out of a sequin brooch that I got for
a song on Etsy.

Finally got around to turn these Bakelite clover leaves into
a pair of earrings!

Got this darling doll head in a junk shop in Prague and now
I turned him into a cute ring.

Some exotic earrings I've been working on.

LATEST REVAMP

This vintage wooden slat bag arrived yesterday.
(eBay find for £1.50 = $2.30)
I admit that I was a little bit disappointed that the (painted)
flower pattern on both sides was quite faded, however, this
was easily fixed with some vintage plastic flowers and some
paper clips.

Maybe I make something else for this bag but this will do
nicely for now. :)

ANOTHER REVAMPED BAG

Not so long ago I revamped this bag that I already revamped
two years before.
Style, taste and needs change, this one into something better
if I might say so.

Got these plain plastic starfish from eBay.

Here's after I covered them in copper colored glitter.

Added some red netting and used some seashells that I
found on the beach in Calafell, Spain.
They already have holes in them (for some reason) so it
was easy to stitch them onto the bag.

I might add a few more seashells on the side of this bag...
What do you think?

The bag looks better in real life, the glitter doesn't show
that well in these pictures.

Have a nice bank holiday weekend!

MORE CREATIONS

Here I go again with my latest creations.
I would looove some feedback on these, please, if you have a
minute to spare.

If you happen to be at Judy’s at Spitalfields on Saturday some
of my creations will be for sale at Greyhound Vintage's stall.

Burlesque style earrings.
Made out of vintage soft plastic bits.

Another pair of the same...

Plumeria necklace and earring set.
I actually took this bracelet apart to use the flowers for
this. Much more useful for me since I prefer bangles.

Blue, mixed new acrylic and vintage soft plastic.

More vintage soft plastic.

And another one.

Airplane set.

REVAMPED BAG

Has it been ages since I did a revamp post or what?!
I got this bag last week and there was a small rust stain
in the middle but I knew right away that I had a butterfly
in one of my craft boxes that would cover it up.
Going through my boxes I found some flowers that would
look swell on there too.
I'm pretty pleased with the result and the flowers can be
used as hair flowers too. :)

REVAMPED

So I revamped the belt buckle into earrings.
I cut off some of the metal pieces and filed
them down so there’s no sharp bits.
Shame to do this, maybe, but I can’t use it
as a buckle and it’s more of a shame not to
be seen in these!