Pet Purses! Recycling How-To

As promised, here is a super quick project you can make for almost no money. And aren't these Pet Purses and Top Boxes just super cute?

I can think of a million different uses for them.

• office supplies like rubber bands, an eraser, even a mini stapler for your day bag (paper clips in the top box!)
• a creative package option for wrapped chocolates and the like
• sanitary napkins and other ladies things
• sewing supplies for on the go... (top boxes for buttons and little hooks)
• small toiletries and make-up
• even a fresh pair of undies...?

This is a super quick project, 30min. to an hour.

I found this idea in the same little book as the home-made cookie cutters:

It comes in English and Spanish and you can order it HERE. There are also lots of upcycling videos on that site, so go have a look!

HOW-TO: 

How-To: From Bland to Bling in one Hour!

A Shoe-Make-over Tutorial

Sewing a garment can be a lengthy process sometimes. Yet I am up for instant gratification very often, so a quick project it has to be...

I love shoes, and I would like to wear amazing high heels on a daily basis, yet I move around a lot and I like to walk fast, so all too often I grab this pair of dull, dreary, bland boots...
But wait! Do they have to be bland? No!

I turned them into "Bling" within one little hour. 

Look, it even has a little gemstone in the heel!

Here's how I did it:

Cookie Cutters - Tutorial!

Here comes one of my few non-sewing/non-illustration posts!

Especially around the holidays I start taking out my crafting supplies and tools, be it for presents or decorations. Yesterday, I made these cookie cutters:

Being able to make your own cookie cutters could be so cool - even if it's just numbers and letters, maybe for somebody's birthday, or an anniversary. But I'm sure you will come up with all kinds of ideas - instruments, logos, animals. All kinds of stuff that maybe you won't find in the store, or you just don't have the time to go looking for it.

I have recently become somewhat obsessed with recycling instead of always buying and buying and throwing things away... and I was thrilled to find this book a while ago:

It comes in English and Spanish and you can order it HERE. There are also lots of upcycling videos on that site, so go have a look!

I will try out some of their projects and post them here, but that will only scratch the surface. It's definitely an inspiring book and worth the money. I paid only 5 Euros and was told that the money goes towards making this a bigger, nicer book, maybe with better pictures... (hint***hint***).

So anyway, it's not my own idea, but it is a "creative commons" project, which I am allowed to share as long as I mention the source.

Tutorial: Melting & Making New Lipsticks

Be my guest: learn from my mistakes! I had the clumsiest morning when I did this little project, and I regret not having taken pictures of all my bloopers! But I promise I will tell you about all of them, so you don't have to make them yourself!

There are many other people who have written tutorials about making lipstick - in fact, I never even thought of doing this until I read this post from Vixen Vintage. The only problem is that most people use lipstick palettes or little jars, and I really wanted to make lipsticks again. Also, I wanted to use what I had in the house and not have to go shopping for this little experiment. As you see in the picture above, in spite of all the bloopers, it worked out just fine in the end.

Amazing Fleamarket Finds...

As promised, I am posting some pictures of things I found at the fleamarket on Saturday. But don't worry, I'm not doing this to make you jealous or anything - you will actually profit from some of my finds, I promise!
I'll go in the order of how I found them...
First, this amazingly beautiful collar, hand-embroidery of it's most accurate kind, in best condition...

Black velvet, gold embroidery with different sized beads. I don't know how old it is. I am not sure whether I will keep this for myself or sell it in my shop... Yes, you heard me right, I am planning on opening a little shop....

Then, oh WOW, these two beauties (as always, click on the images to enlarge):

They were quite pricey, but I had to have them. I don't really know how old they are, I can only guess (30's?). They are hand-colored and I have now framed them and made sure the edges don't tear any more. I really feel like making these costumes some day... The first one says (the original is in French, I'm translating):

Queen of Flowers: Bodice in shape of calyx made of green silk, the top is cut in strips. The very voluminous sleeves and skirt are composed entirely from rose-colored organza petals.

The second one:

The Spring: Straight bodice made out of rose-colored "pongé" (a light weight fabric, a silk/wool mix). Skirt simulating a flower, from petals cut out of two different tones of yellow organza. Garland and trail made of flowers.

Corrections are welcome...
There's more! Click on that little "read more" button below to do just that!

I AM all that!

Another Award for me! Beangirl has created this award. Oh yes, it is still quite a new award, but I bet you that sooner or later it will be the only one that counts. Because it asks the truly important questions. About shoes. About poisoning. About kissing. I will answer them. Here and now. And only here, and only now. One of my very favorite bloggers, oonaballoona has passed this award on to me, and I am flattered beyond kalkatroona.

1) What size shoe do you wear?  If you wear a size 7, can I borrow your shoes?

A European 37. Which is a Japanese 22,5, a U.K. 4, an Australian 5, a Russian and Ukrainian 35, a Korean 238, which measures 9 3/8th inches, or 23,8 Centimeters, or 238 Mondopoint. Oh, right, it's a U.S. and Canadian 6,5 (Shoesizechart here!), and no, you cannot borrow these:

 

BUT yes, go ahead, take these:

And if you MUST bring them back, maybe you could clean them?

2) 30's or 60's?

PURELY from a fashion interest point of view, I'd have to say 30's, preferably in Europe. We are NOT taking politics and economics though!

3)  Have you ever kissed someone you shouldn't have?

Uhm, I'll have to admit that most of my relationships started that way. The person who said I shouldn't kiss the guy was usually myself though. What bad judgment I had - I am now happily married to one of the men I shouldn't have kissed. So there, who's to say who you should and shouldn't kiss?

4) Have you ever been poisoned?  Was it by the girlfriend of the person you kissed??  That is awesomely "Knot's Landing".

No, no "Knot's Landing" in my life, I don't even know "Knot's Landing", I grew up without TV. Because of that, you could say I am a truly UN-poisoned person. But I once had food poisoning and will probably never eat oysters again.

5) Who's on your "Celebrity Free Pass" list (top 5)?

Theoretically I would say that any man who thinks he can pull any sort of a free pass because he is a celebrity would really turn me off. But guess I would reconsider for Bono, Jon Bon Jovi, Sting, Keanu Reeves and Matt Damon... Oh great, now I'm embarrassed. Thanks a lot.

Ok now you know all kinds of things about me you didn't need to know. I'm kind of glad this award came so early in my blogging life, this way, not too many people will read this :-)
Here are the five nominees! Come grab your award,  it's not even hidden, so much easier than finding Easter eggs...

1. Honigbärenbiene
2. Another Sewing Scientist
3. Yoshimi the Flying Squirrel
4. Farmhouse Garden
5. Pedilu

Have a look at their wonderful blogs!

Wow. Cool!

So wow, this is all so cool. I have to be careful not to get totally sucked up in the supportive world of blogging and loose touch with the real world around me completely. I did go shop at the farmers market and communicated with a lot of people there, so I should be ok. 

It's just so good to get this kind of feedback when you are starting out. And STYLE is actually exactly what I am trying to re-discover for myself. I once had it. Then I felt I had to look like everybody else. Long story, don't ask why!

Anyway, Charlotte from Sew Far Sew Good has passed this award to me, thank you so much!

I am asked to share 7 things about myself that you might not yet know (easy) and which might be of interest to you (hard).

1. I am originally from Switzerland (Zürich), spent 1 year in California (High School), 5 years in New York and am now living in Vienna, Austria.

2.  I actually wanted to become a costume/set designer and somehow ended up on stage (I am musical-theater and classical singer).

3. I am a Capricorn with Scorpio in my Ascendant (I believe that is called the Rising Sign) and people who are into Astrology pity me for that.

4. None of my many lists will ever help me get everything done that is brewing up in my busy brain. I make them anyway. All the time. Every day. This is one too, but I actually got asked to make it. So there.

5. I would love to be really funny and witty in this list, but that would cost me a lot of brain power. I adore people who make me laugh.

6. My great-uncle was a designer and actually had runway shows in Paris, Milano and all these great places. I wasn't aware of that until about 2 years ago. My Grandma was a seamstress.

7. I love ZEN. When I eat, I eat. When I dance, I dance. When I drink, I drink. When I sew, I sew. My reality isn't always that way though, unfortunately.


So now I get to pass on the award. I choose Lauren from *dear golden*. Every time she posts something, I gasp. Check it out. True beauty. In every post.
Have a lovely weekend!

Brogues, a Coat and Courage

What is your reaction when you see these?

Blushing. Lovely. Thank you!

You guys - yes you, in front of that monitor - are very special to me. I have started this blog less than a month ago, and while there aren't that many readers yet, the ones I have are wonderful. Thank you for your input - thanks to you, my experience to the blog'o'world has been a very positive one so far, and until this changes, I shall continue.


Now I have been given this lovely Blog award from Vicky, of Another Sewing Scientist.

It is an award for new Blogs, with no more than 300 readers, and I really appreciate it. It is meant to help spread the word about other Blogs that might not be so widely known yet, and I will gladly do so.
Apart from Vicky, I also think these people should definitely be on your reading list, and I am passing on the award to them:

Oonaballoona from Kalkatroona - this lady is so funny. And she can sew!
Paper Doll - Fashion illustration SO amazingly beautiful!
Miss P - with lots of sewing basics, glad to have just discovered her myself!
And if you love vintage patterns, don't miss out on these: A Few Threads Loose and Annabellebumps!


Have fun discovering them!