Happy Wednesday!
Do you love lace as much as I do? Does your heart beat faster when you are out rummaging and find a grab bag full of old laces? My favorite thing to do is to purchase it unopened (as long as the price is right)... then wait 'til I get hope to open and marvel over all the beauties inside. I have never been disappointed with my grab bag finds!
I like to incorporate vintage laces into my project, and am always seeking new ideas and ways to utilize the zillions of odd pieces I have in my stash. This Halloween season, several of my swap projects featured lace as the main attraction (or at least as the co-star).
(note: I'm not sharing complete details yet about the specific swap or who the recipients are, as they are still enroute to their owners and i don't want to give it all away!)
One swap required that we create or alter a fabric bag, which is then to be filled with Halloween treats for our partner. I'm not sure if I've shared this with you before, but I am not much of a seamstress. Yes, I own a sewing machine... but my sewing schedules are rudimentary at best. Straight stitch all the way, baby! So obviously, sewing a bag from scratch was out of the question. I opted for the purchase of a canvas bag to be altered.
I found this fabulous ghouls and vampires digital art by Steam Dust Studios (http://steamduststudios.blogspot.com/) and thought they would be the perfect theme for my bag! I created burlap tags, embellished with tatting, crochet, bits and pieces of vintage lace...
(please excuse all my threads... photos were taken prior to "cleaning" up my work)
A while back, I found rolls of sterilized gauze bandages at a junk shop and purchased several rolls, hoping I would one day have a use for them. That day is here.... "rosettes" made from guaze were the perfect adornment for some of my tags.
I love the sassiness of these ladies!
The tags were then sewn onto the exterior of the canvas bag to create a collage effect... a photo of finished product will be shared next week, but I have to tell you that I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!
Next, a paper-mache witches hat that has been decoupaged with vintage laces.
The rosette was made from vintage doilies, petals from a silk rose, tatted lace, and my favorite "fishnet" black lace.... a bit of charring on the edges with a candle... finished off with some vintage bling.
The black lace around the crown is from an old Spanish mantilla.... the black plume from a 1920's hat... the pearls are actually a double-strand necklace from the 1950's Vintage re-use at its best!
I hope you liked my lacy inspirations...
what have you been using this season for your creations?
Linking up to share with
White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage
Show and Tell Friday @ Romantic Home
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground
Hi Mercedes, all the lacy stuff looks stunning. I bet you had so much fun making them all. I found and am now following you through My Romantic Home and plan to visit often. Please pop on over to my blog and perhaps you could follow me also. I would love that. Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs, Chris
Posted by: Chris | Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 12:23 AM
Great creative decorations- love what you have done with your vintage lace!! Thanks for linking up at FNF :)
Posted by: Courtney | Thursday, October 20, 2011 at 01:06 PM
Your creations are amazing!! I love the use of all the vintage lace and doilies! Thanks for the heads up about the digital art - I found several ones that I like!
Posted by: Sarah | Wednesday, October 19, 2011 at 06:01 PM
Tee, it wasn't time-consuming to make... the longest time was the waiting for the decoupaged lace to dry (overnite), then painting over that (a few hours drying); but the embellishing itself was fairly easy and fun!
Posted by: mercedes scott | Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 10:51 AM
Ooh Love the Gauzy Tags! But The Witch Hat is Incredible! I would Love To Make one next year!! How long did it take to put together? LOVE IT! Hugs Tee
Posted by: Tee | Saturday, October 15, 2011 at 10:25 AM
How cute is that? I love your witch hat, I hope you plan on wearing it. I am following from Common Grounds party. Drop by my blog for more halloween. Kathy
Posted by: Kathy Lovitt | Friday, October 14, 2011 at 06:22 PM
Absolutely wonderful! I love the witches hat - it's so fancy! I love lace too. It's hard to find where I live. :) Your blog is lovely!
Jennelise
Posted by: Jennelise | Friday, October 14, 2011 at 02:49 PM
Mercedes, your projects are beautiful!
Posted by: Kellydeal.blogspot.com | Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 02:26 PM
IT ALL LOOKS WONDERFUL..lucky partner and the post on the domino book stunning ..Hugs wendy
Posted by: WENDY | Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 04:55 PM