Repurposed.

I do a lot of vintage shopping. I buy things from Goodwill, Flea Markets, the DAV, and various other thrift and used clothing stores. Generally, I want my clothes to be cute and comfortable, but also practical for an art room. I don't buy many items that are white....or that need to be ironed. And its nice that I can buy something cheaper than I would if it were new, so if it does get a stain or spot on it, I haven't invested much.

Sometimes I find clothing that I can't walk away from. I have to evaluate if it is likely that I will ever wear it....and I have to decide if I am just buying it because I found it. Not because I would ever actually buy it from a retail store. Often, I will find polyester shirts like this one:

And even though I don't think I will wear it, I went ahead and brought it home....And then when I found similar shirt with two owls on it....I had to have it. So now I have two shirts that are very similar, but they are hot, itchy polyester so I won't wear either one very often, if ever. But I could not leave them behind. I found them. Now they are mine.

I decided to transform the owl shirt into a bag. I've been working on this project for quite a while, so I am glad to finally have it finished so I can show you!!

I cut off the bottom of the shirt, with the pretty design on it. Luckily, it was printed on the front and back. I sewed across the bottom, and made a liner for the inside. The liner is pretty rough...I've never lined a bag before, but whatever, it works. Since the shirt is a strong material, it will make a great bag, but the white is a little bit sheer so I think the liner was a good idea. Also, I'm notorious for spilling things in bags...

I cut up the top of the shirt and made sort of a quilted design for the handles of the bag. I just happened to have the perfect shade of blue fabric to line the handles. Also, I added some interfacing to reinforce the handles.

This was a fun repurpose project! Thanks for reading!!

Retro Vacation Photos {New Orleans}

While most of my traveling in college was done with Missouri Southern State University, I did take one trip with my aunt an uncle to New Orleans. We stayed in the French Quarter so we were walking distance from lots of photo-ops. My aunt and uncle were newly into photography and it was fun to wander around the cemeteries taking pictures of the beautiful city from different angles. I'm sure we looked like tourists with all of our camera equipment, but we didn't care. (these were pre-katrina)

We were a little worried when this guy approached us. We were afraid he was going to try to rob us. But then he did a back flip....so we gave him some cash and he went away.

To see more photos from my Retro Vacation Photo series and see where it all started click here.

Retro Vacation Photos {London B&W}

It is no coincidence that my London photos are debuting the same week as the Olympics begin in London. I am really excited to watch the Olympic games this year, and I LOVE London too!

As part of the Summer in Sweden trip, we actually spent the first week in London. Tacking on an extra week to see such an amazing city was incredible.

London is one of those places that you could visit a dozen times and never feel like you've seen it all or had enough of it. We did lots of walking, and saw so much incredible architecture and exhibits. The National Gallery in London is one of my top favorite museums.

The best part about traveling with a group of artists, is that we actually did everything I would've wanted to do while we were there. We visited the Saatchi Gallery and the Tate Modern as well as making a special trek to the Camden Arts Centre to see the Wonderful World exhibit by Alexis Rockman. 

 

Glazed

Way back in June, a group of us made our way down to a little place in Neosho called Glazed. It was a really fun night with yummy snacks and creativity. If you want to plan a fun 'girls night out' I would suggest checking this place out. It would also be a fun place for a birthday party.

Here is my finished plate! So cool!!

Retro Vacation Photos {London}

London.
As part of the 6-weeks in Sweden, we arrived first in London where we got to spend 5-6 days wandering around, trying to look cool drinking hot tea and pub beer, while marveling with a traveler's true enthusiasm at the National Gallery, the famous monuments like Big Ben, the London Eye, and the changing of the guard.  

And this is what we all did throughout the entire trip.

Remember to eat your fish and chips!

Portobello Road Antique Market. This was an amazing little shopping trip. I got a lovely used leather jacket. I'm so glad we were there for the Saturday shopping!

Mind the gap.

One particularly long adventure involved using all of our cartography skills as we made a trek off the tourist beaten path into the heart of Camden to see the work of artist Alexis Rockman's Wonderful World,  at the Camden Arts Centre. The show was only about 5 paintings and took forever to find, but it was worth the time and energy. It was amazing, I will never forget how closely we examined the massive paintings and discussed symbolism behind the imagery.