Burlap Tattered Flowers

I was blessed with about $150.00 worth of burlap last week and was determined to make something out of them & quick. Okay, so I only used a tee tiny portion of the burlap I was given but hey, it's just THE beginning!

So the story unfolds:

About 1:30 am I awoke with this great idea to make burlap flower pins! like I did with the denim. But you know how messy & stringy burlap can be! As not to lose the thought, I immediately went outside with the dogs to the trunk of my car where the burlap was still hiden safely from a husband who thinks I have way too much stuff already, where I cut about a 1/2 yard from each color.

Inside I go, dogs in tow. I cut each piece of burlap into 6" x 8" sections, neatly stacking the pieces. It's getting close to 2 am now but the great idea is still there. I get a square plastic bowl & pour some Aleenes Tacky Glue diluted with water. Each burlap 6x8 in piece gets a soak in the mixture. Ball up & wring out excess glue/water mixture. Each wet burlap piece is then placed on parchment paper to prevent sticking. After an hour, the pieces are put in front of a fan (ok, so I was impatient....after all it IS the wee hours of the morning) to finish drying.

The pieces dried fairly quickly but I made SURE the burlap pieces were good & dry. When dry, the burlap is stiff & workable for the project I'm using it for. Using the Tattered Florals from Sizzix, each piece is cut into flower sections. Here's all the flowers I created from the pieces of stiffen burlap.

Then the layering begins. I alternated between the dark brown & tan tattered florals.

Using a Crop-a-Dile, cut a center hole in each flower. Insert a brad or add a pretty button.

And here you have it! My very first burlap Tattered Florals! Ready to wear to church tomorrow!

It's All About the Numbers

It's all about the NUMBERS!

I've always loved creating with numbers & time elements so you can imagine the fun I had with this piece.

If you know me well, you know how I love creating my jewelry pieces symetrical so this necklace kept me challenged to work asymetrical! I love the overall look of this necklace. The pieces for this necklace were collected from all around me. I cut up an ordinary wooden ruler, aging it with Ranger Distress Inks.

Here is a watch face I gutted to make lighter for wearing but glued the numbered faceplate in place. Misc beads were used, heck what's a necklace without beads? The metal numbers were drilled top & bottom to add jumps to string. Vintage silver & antique chains were added for interest.
Here I used small game pieces that I drilled a hole through in order to string. On the ruler is a paper ruler adhered to the wooden ruler section. Using a Crop-a-Dile, I punched my holes & set my eyelets in the ruler for a finished look.

From the ruler section hangs a Vintaq brass plate with vintage bingo game marker glued to it using Beacon Adhesives, Quick Grip. Again, I really like the way this piece turned out. This piece was inspired from a necklace I saw while flipping through a bead magazine & my love for numbers.