Fabric Friday: Everythings Coming Up Zippers

Now that I have started making zipper flowers,

I can't seem to stop.

Remember, someone gave me zippers about 10 years ago

So last Saturday, during my garage sale, I experimented and made zipper flowers. I wore one to church Sunday and took some more. I sold the one off of my chest and nearly all that I brought. I have made more and at church last night, I was very popular. Here are the ones that I have made.

Some are headbands, some clips and some broaches.

Written tutorial: Sorry I did not take pictures.

1. To make them, I cut the stop off the bottom and upzip. This removes the pull. [I am saving them because I live by the mantra, "Never throw anything away!".]
2. I now have two parts of the zipper. The size of the flower depends on the length of the zipper.
3. After much experimentation, my favorite flowers begin by rolling the zipper end that I cut off the stop. I use hot glue to tack it as I roll about 1" of zipper. That is not exact, just roll until you like it.
4. Now I run a gathering stitch along the cloth edge. I use beading thread, just because I have it. I stitch about 3", pull it up and tack the gathers. 
5. The next part is just personal preference. I gather a bit and then glue it around the base center roll. Gather some move and glue. 
6. When I get to the end of the zipper, tuck the end under and glue.
7. Now I decide if I want to add more zipper to make the flower larger or stop.
8. When I am happy with the flower, I cut a small round of felt and glue it to the bottom.
9. I can get creative and add feathers or tassel leftovers or lace or whatever else I can find. Sometimes the craziest things make the best background. I made some yo-yos to go behind the zipper flowers.
10. The last step is to decide how it will be worn. I glued some to headbands, some to elastic, some to clips and some to pins.

Right now I am selling them for $5 for one flower and $8 for more than one flower. Contact me if you want one. We will have to negotiate shipping if you do not live in the Houston area.

 

This weekend we are going to Austin to plan Gary's memorial service and 

babysit our grandson.

I will take my supplies and make flowers. I cannot sit still. I have to always be doing something. 

http://i739.photobucket.com/albums/xx38/Decormamma/CraftaliciousButton-3-1.jpg

Wood Wednesday Stereo Redo

This is a repost from last June. If you follow my post, you know that my brother-in-law passed away over the weekend. I have not been able to work with much wood. 

But this one is fun!

My daughter-in-law’s sister has inspired me to get back into dumpster diving. I guess it is really trash trawling. Elaine is decorating her first apartment. I have the privilege of creating some fun and exciting furniture for her. I cannot pass up furniture and wood that people put in their trash. I love to drive around and just find stuff. Today I found a really great paint easel for my grandson. Why do people throw away good stuff. This could have gone to a daycare or Goodwill…not the landfill.

The first thing I will highlight in this bog is the stereo cabinet.

I was driving down Pilgrim’s Point one day and saw this cabinet with a “FREE” sign on it. Just the kind of sign I like. I had seen a makeover for something like this on TV. I picked it up thinking,  ”Someday I will find a use for this.” Now you have to understand. I have NO ROOM in my house. I have NO ROOM in my garage. Brad rented a storage unit and it is full.

So now I have found the stereo a home. I have painted it a light teal. This paint is from when we remodeled the house in Bridge City 8 years ago. I ordered 3 gallons of the wrong color in high gloss. The dyslexia was kicking in. Remember: “Never throw anything away.” Our friends and family did not agree with this when we gutted the house after hurricane Ike.

Back to the stereo. I saw a picture of a coffee table in my favorite magazine “100 Decorating Ideas for Under $100″. It had a peacock feather decal on the top. Elaine really liked it. So I found a picture of a feather on the internet and painted it on the top. I replaced the torn fabric with some purple fabric that I had. I painted the rest of the front purple with circles that are supposed to be peacock feather eyes. This project required no purchased materials. The stuff was all at my house and I had a great time creating.

The next project will be the old wood dresser.

More Remembering

I really hate rodents.

It is mostly mice, but any rodent just gives me the heebbie-jeebies (spell check doesn't know this word). I don't care if it is a cute little white mouse

or a big ugly rat.

 

I just cannot stand them. I cover my eyes during movies.

We moved out of our first house because there was a mouse. When Brad came home from work to find me on the back of the couch, he set the trap for the mouse. The next day a snake come to get it out of the trap. We moved the day after that.

Well move forward a few years. We lived in a big 2-story house in Orange Texas. Barry and Megan were preschoolers. Brad saw a mouse and set a trap. Then he proceeded to go to work. That would be the night shift as a sheriff deputy in Vidor, about 15 miles away.

The kids and I did our thing and went to bed in the 3 bedrooms upstairs. Well, one thing was different. Since Brad was not home I decided to roll my hair on the pink sponge rollers. I know some of you might not remember these, but this was the early 80's.

Some time around midnight, I woke up to thump... thump..thump..thump... thump..thump. That stupid mouse was caught in the trap and was NOT DEAD. I scooted down the stairs with the heebbie-jeebies, leaving my poor sleeping children to fend for themselves. I did not even want to be on the same floor with that mouse. Wrapped in a blanket I grabbed the kitchen phone, which of course was connected to the wall by a cord. I went outside on the back steps and called Brad. When I told him the problem, he was not as sympathetic as I thought he should be. "What do you want me to do about it? I just got to work and I can't come home." Hysterically I said, "I don't care what you do, but you have to take care of that mouse."

So he called his brother, Gary, who lived in Orangefield, about 5 miles away. Remember, it's after midnight on a weeknight. Gary is sound asleep, resting up for a day of welding. "You want me to what? Are you kidding?" Well, my sweet, long-suffering brother-in-law came to my house, where he found me wrapped in a blanket on the back steps, yes, with pink curlers in my hair. He went upstairs, where my poor children were still sleeping, got the now dead mouse and threw it away.

He never said, "No", when someone needed help.

Gary, you will be missed. Heaven is a better place with you there.

Marvelous Monday Remembering My Brother-in-Love

The last few years have been a real struggle for my brother- in- law. Many years of hard living and hard working demanded payment. He was a welder, a tank truck driver, a smoker and world worker. His lungs finally said ENOUGH! He was treated at the VA hospital for COPD and related problems.

I will not go into all of his struggles, but stubbornness, a strong will, just plain hardheadedness, and a love of God kept him alive much longer than anyone expected.

In September we had the Greatest Before and After. His daughter, Jackie, has taken excellent care of him. She bought a home in Austin so that Gary could live at her house and she could take care of him.

His body was just not strong enough to overcome the abuse it had suffered. He passed away this morning and he will be missed.

Our church secretary from Orange expressed it well. "So sorry to hear about Gary. I loved Gary. He would come to the church office for his studies with Tommy, and we would spend a little time talking. He gave me the Bible I use today. God bless you and your family. ♥". The Bacom boys were always entertaining.


Today would have been my dad's 89th birthday. Gary's arrival in heaven will be a nice gift. Gary always liked my dad.

We'll see you in heaven.

Fabric Friday on Saturday

Well, I overloaded myself this week. I had a garage sale...is that enough said. I did not have time to work on a fabric project, set up the sale and post a blog. Oh, and we must not forget, read all of your blogs.

But I cannot sit still and just wait for people to come and to look and then leave. I sat for a while, then I remembered that I had made some fabric flowers earlier.  I took this opportunity to add them to headbands.

Then my brain started twirling, and that can be dangerous. I remembered that someone had given me a box full of zippers.

and I remembered flowers made from zippers. So I went online to find some to copy.

Here is what I made:

Aren't they cute?

If you are interested in having some of your very own, just email me. msbacom@comcast.net

Featured Again!

My nap mat tutorial was featured!

Check out the link: My Repurposed Life

Big Sale at my House.

I need to get rid of some stuff. If you are near Houston, come on by Jan 13-15. I will be here.
big sale
more and more.

I also have odds and ends, paintings, stained glass, crosses. I have things from the trash, my mother's downsizing, garage sale left overs.

Come on Over!!!

Wood Wednesday Family Crest

Above all other descriptions, I consider myself an artist. Earlier I posted about a community Art Contest that I entered and won. I also made a slide show of my work.

Original Wall Art

God through genetics has given me some great talent and I am thankful. I wish I could make a living just painting. I really enjoy it.

Several weeks ago a friend of mine asked me to paint her husband's family crest. He had bought a 22" wooden round and a dremel tool.

His plan was to carve the crest into the round. Well that did not happen, so she asked me to paint the crest on this round. She had a black and white picture and description of the crest.

I went on line to try to find more detail but did not find it. The paper says, "Silver; two narrow red horizontal bars between nine gold lions walking and facing the observer."  I have to see something before I can draw it.  So I looked on the internet for a picture of a lion. The one in this drawing was just too vague. I could not find a picture of the lion exactly like I wanted so I cut and paste 2 together.

Then I drew out the entire crest and background on a big piece of paper. After I got approval on this part, I drew the design on the wood. In the last 5 years, I have painted mostly with watercolor. The colors blend so much different than with acrylic. I really had to work these paints. I think I repainted all 9 lions 4 times.

I delivered the crest to my friend just after the new year. She surprised her husband with and and they both love. it. Here is the finished painting on their wall.

I am linking this post today: