Saint Salvage

This weekend, I went through my closet for the twice a year update for seasonal changes. I pulled out my vintage pair of Ferragamos (the kind with the ribbon bow in the front). So.... I bought a tube of Shoe Goo. Sounds like fun stuff, huh? I pulled back the insoles in both shoes, and applied the "Shoe Goo", and allowed it to dry. The finished product..... 30 year old Ferragamo bow front flats that are good to be worn, with no loose insoles. Yay! Happy feet!

I found a vintage milk bottle while walking through a nature preserve near my home, and I was inspired to make a diffuser. This is the finished DIY project. I started with the bottle, after cleaning all the dirt that had built up inside and on it. The added charm is that is a half-pint (1940s era) from Sterling Davis Dairy, which was from Wrightstown, NJ. It makes me smile that I can give a forgotten item from my home state some new life. I have some Phlox plants that are in my front yard. It's the end of the season, so I cut off some dried stems for conducting the scented oil. This is the scented oil I chose. They are from the local Dollar Tree.  Sugar Cookie and Pumpkin Pie are very complementary. These are the Phlox stems, after I cut them. This is a cross-section of a stem. It acts as a straw. It's easy to cut and arrange the stems. The last step.... pour in the scented oils. The finished project:

A "Black Cherry" Gel Manicure was what I wanted last night. So this was what I used: The base coat and top coat is: Gel Base and Top Coat by  Sensationail . It came with my Starter Kit. The color coat is Inner Vixen, by Gelish (available at  Amazon.com ) Then, a glitter coat of An Evening to Remember by  Red Carpet Manicure Of course, these are all LED curable gel polishes that I use with my  Sensationail Pro 3060 LED Lamp, that came with my  Starter Kit . Here's one coat of "Inner Vixen". One glitter coat of An Evening to Remember. Nice combination!

I live near the Jersey Shore, and a saw a woman wearing a printed shirt that had a very interesting print with plant leaves on it. I asked her what it was, and she told me she bought it at a craft fair from a vendor selling "cyanotypes". So..... that gave me an "Ah ha! moment". So, I did a little research, and I came across a company called  Blue Sun Prints I found a lot of fun choices. The rest of this of the blog post shows what I did.... Step 1: Gather your supplies Here's what I gathered for my supplies: The package of cyanotype squares Assorted leaves: Fern, oak, and holly Package of straight pins I took my supplies to my makeshift darkroom (the bathroom), and turned on the light on my iPhone. Then... I pinned the leaves to the squares. Step 2: Create the print This part is the hardest for me. Wait 15 minutes for the solar energy to do its thing. Unpin the leaves, and leave on the fore...

This is another blog post created to solve a problem of mine. I know I can't be the only one who has had a purse ruined by an exploding pen. Here's how I did it.  Step 1: Gather your supplies Gather everything you need for the project: Purse with dried ink. Yes, I waited for it to dry. Paper towels, scrub brush with nylon bristles (tough enough to lift the ink, but not too tough that the lining will get chewed up). Carbona Stain Devils #3: Ink & Crayon De-Solv-It "APC" All Purpose Cleaner & Orange Powered Degreaser Gloves *** Keep your trash can close by! *** Step 2: Scrub and Remove that Ink! **** Safety note: I performed the scrubbing in my bathroom, with the fan running. **** I started by using the Carbona Stain Devil first. I dribbled a little bit on a small area, and scrubbed and blotted. Then, I dribbed and repeated MULTIPLE times.... the stained paper towel shows it.  I followed the sc...

How to color a leather purse.... This one happens to be a Prada bag. Yup, real deal. Here's the story behind this post. I bought a beautiful Prada bag at an estate sale earlier this year. Sadly, we had a fire in our house (in May 2013), and whatever could be salvaged went out to the professional cleaning service. It came back to me physically intact, and not reeking of smoke. But.... it needed (ahem) color adjustment. Step 1: Collect your supplies This step is a "no duh" step, but sometimes it really needs to be said. I got the purse, latex gloves and a can of Meltonian  Nu-Life Color Spray in 645 Chocolate.  I made sure sure to read the can, since the dye in this can is basically a can of spray paint that is suitable for use with vinyl, plastic and leather.  The directions state very clearly to use this in a "well-ventilated area", so I decided to take this project outside.  Step 2: Spray the "Color Spray" on the...