live the repuposed life: beautiful reinventions

{Creativity is allowing yourself tomake mistakes.  Art is knowingwhich ones to keep.  ~Scott Adams}

I have long since learned that this

is the beauty of {ART}. There is

no right or wrong. No proverbial

black or white. We, as creators

of art, are free to claim our

mistakes as much more. We are free to scoop them up, recycle them, re-purpose them,

reinvent them ... make them into something beautiful once more.

... but first let me take you back a bit ... 

I have long since been a lover of the primitive arts. Years ago I bought a simple set of

directions, a rug hooking frame and some scraps of wool. I was literally {hooked} if

you will! Armed with a new cutter and a notebook full of designs I began creating rugs. 

They took hours and hours and hours and hours to make, but they were {real}. They

were going to last a lifetime. A craft of the past. When someone ordered a custom

designed rug they were in fact getting an heirloom.

... fast forward ...

I recently started what was to be a miniature {rug} for a wall hanging. Somewhere

along the way it dissolved into something smaller than miniature. A mistake. {or so I

thought}. So I tucked it away for another day ... after all, the wool had been dyed,

stripped and partially hooked. I could abandon it, but I have never had to heart to

take a rug apart ... and so that day came. Last week, as I rooted through a cupboard

I stumbled across the partially finished {miniature rug}. The colors were wonderful

and since I have been a fanatic crazy woman making bags left and right, around here

I decided then and there it might not be a rug, but it could certainly be a bright and

cheery panel on a bag.

... and so it was ...

I remounted it on the frame and finished the hooking. It was satisfying to be holding

the hook again. Once it was complete I sewed it to one of the panels of a duck cloth

tote bag I was working on ...

... a fresh and funky design. Birds, hearts, arrows, scallops, flowers ...

 ... as I am huge into {re-purposing} these days as well, I gathered up some cool

vintage fabric my sweet, sweet neighbor gave me and used it as a liner for the

tote bag. Some canvas straps, a shabby muslin ruffle and of course, a {great big

huge ruffly silky flower}. I even threw in a hand dyed velvet center for the flower ...

 

...the reverse side of the tote is embellished with a tiny felted heart with wings ...

... and so there are no mistakes.

 Just {beautiful reinventions} ...

 ... and always a reason to {CREATE} !

 

 

{ muslin & leather plaquette cuff }

I love my leather cuffs, and I have many...but I am always looking to try something new with them...and so...

This is the latest. Another one of my coveted number plaquettes from my sweet friend Roben-Marie and her Art Goods Shop is front and center on this one! 

  

Sweet Ruffled Satchels

 I hope this week finds everyone rested after a long holiday weekend. My family and I were invited to the beach by a long time friend and we were blessed with wonderful weather, great company and each other. A much needed reprieve for all! It was while I was on this "mini holiday" that I realized I needed something small and light and summery looking to carry as a little "purse." I dug through a drawer deep in "carry all's" but nothing seemed right...so I survived the weekend with my Burt's Bees in my pocket and my money in my husband's pocket! Today I decided to remedy that situation once and for all. I found these adorable, plain duck cloth zipper "satchel's"{check out the beautiful tray Erin at Peony Wire Works created for me!} as my Olivia likes to call them at a local craft store. All they needed was a shabby white muslin ruffle and a twisted shabby rosette. I love the rope like handle and the overall simplicity of this little tote. It measures 6 x 9 inches. Perfect for the summer here and there's!

{check these "SWEET SATCHELS" on etsy}