Dyeing Doilies with Alcohol Ink

Hello my lovelies,

I've been on this alcohol ink kick lately, as you've probably guessed based on my previous posts DIY Alcohol Ink and DIY Shimmer Spritz Experiment.  Well, here's another!

I have been saving various vintage handkerchiefs and doilies that are stained, intending to do something cool with them.  In most cases I can use OxyClean and super hot water to remove any stains, but there are a few that just won't come clean.  Recently I decided to experiment with alcohol inks.

Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of my process so I'll just try to explain what I did.

Basically I just decided what pattern I wanted and which colors I wanted to go where.

I used the Wild Plum and Denim, combined with a hot pastel pink one that I made myself.

The Wild Plum is the darker purple color, the one I made myself is the lighter pink, and the blue parts are the denim ink.

 I started by dabbing the plum ink just inside of the border, a little at a time, allowing it to bleed and spread.

Then I did the denim on the petals.  Last I sprayed the hot pastel pink all over to help facilitate the ink to bleed and move and blend together.  I used the inks again to fill in any gaps.

Next, I did the same thing with this one, dabbing the alcohol ink directly from the bottle onto the doily and allowing it to bleed and blend before I added more.

I allowed the doilies to dry completely before I soaked them in boiling water.

In my final step I boiled some water and poured it into a plastic bowl that I didn't care about.

I did the 1st one first and allowed it to soak, stirring occasionally, until the water had completely cooled.  I then drained and rinsed it in cold water until the water was mostly clear.

Then, I repeated the process, adding this little round doily to the mix.  I realized the 1st time around that I was wasting ink in the heat setting process, and that I could probably be dyeing some more fabric at the same time.  I was right.  This came out so cute!

I just love how these look!  I'm definitely eager to make some more.

I'll be selling them in my booth at Antiques and Things, booth #19.

Hope you enjoyed this post!

Love,

Myria

DIY Shimmer Spritz Experiment

Hello My Pretties!

I'm pretty excited to show you all how I made these Shimmer Ink Sprays.

I recently went to Tuesday Morning and bought a bottle of Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist.  It was the only color they had, otherwise I would have bought more.

Only $2.49!  I got it home, used it, loved it!  Wanted more. 

 Then I got the bright idea to try to make my own.  I've had these Johne Headlights sprays for YEARS. I bought them at the International Beauty Show in New York for something like $1 or $2 per bottle.  I never used them because when you spray the glitter, as soon as the liquid dries the glitter falls off.  

Lame.

I saved them because I just knew that I would be able to use them for something crafty one day.

(in this photo I had already emptied out 1/2 of the liquid from most of the bottles)

I read the ingredients and it seemed pretty straight forward.  It is mostly made of botanicals, glitter, and alcohol.

I decided the best way to go about it would be to empty out 1/2 of the liquid

and add Mod Podge

I wasn't exactly sure how much to add so I started with a little bit, then spritzed it. 

 If the glitter didn't stick when it dried then I added more Mod Podge.

Here is the before photo of my sample tag.  

Keep in mind that I have inked the edges of this tag with a ColorBox Paintbox ink pad to match the stamp.

Here is the after photo.  Pretty!

I later got the idea to add some homemade Alcohol Inks to the mix.

These two turned out the best!

Up close photo of the Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist...pretty!

 Photo of my pink glitter with pink alcohol ink added.

Photo of my blue glitter with pink and blue alcohol ink added.

(pink + blue = purple)

Verdict:  it works!

To recap, I don't have an actual recipe but the ingredients used are alcohol, glitter, mod podge, and Alcohol Inks - in that order.  If I had to, I'd say 60% Alcohol, 15% glitter, 15% mod podge, and 10% alcohol ink.

Keep in mind that $2.49 is not much to pay at all!  And if you can find the Glimmer Mists that cheap then buy them!  Don't bother making your own.  However, in a pinch if you really need some for a late night project then you can easily make your own.

Hope you enjoyed my post,

Love,

Myria

Mad Tea Party AND Needle Felting Class Part 2

Hello all!

Well, yesterday's party was wonderful!  The ladies in my meetup group are just beautiful inside and out, and it was a pleasure teaching them how to make these cute little latte art needle felted pin cushions.

In honor of the mad tea party theme I wore a fascinator that I got at St James Tea Room

Here is a final photo of the tea party setup

I LOVE these blooming flower tea bombs.  

I got them on Amazon and I need to see if there is a tea shop in town that sells them.

A tea party would not be complete without french macaroons.  These are from L'Amour Baking Co.  

A french bakery that just opened up a few weeks ago in the village and I must say - they are amazing! 

Flavors are pistachio, lemon meringue, coconut, coffee, lavender, and neapolitan. 

A little tip - if you go into their bakery and like them on Facebook while you're there, they will give you a free macaroon.

Dianne and Jenny looking all cute working on their projects 

Luna's coffee before adding cream 

Sherry decided to add a swirl of creme to her demitasse cup 

Margarita working on filling in the creme heart 

Dianne making us laugh while she worked 

Barb's beautiful teacup and her cute pincushion!

Jenny chose a floral demitasse cup and saucer

Luna and her nephew working away 

And in between the instruction I worked on this pin cushion.  Still not done yet - I'm going to add felted roses and leaves.

I'm totally bummed that I didn't take photos of everyone with their completed pin cushions but we just got lost in conversation!

Thank you for reading!  Until next time -

Love,

Myria

Mad Tea Party with A Fanciful Twist AND Needle Felting Class

Hello My Lovelies,

I have been eagerly waiting for this day to arrive and it's finally here!  My Mad Tea Party and Needle Felting Class.  The tea party is hosted by Vanessa Valencia at A Fanciful Twist.  Be sure to visit her blog, as well as the blogs of the other tea party hosts.

I'm waiting awhile to prep completely for my tea party.  I want the tea to be hot and the macaroons to be fresh!  But don't worry - tomorrow I will post all of the photos of the tea party and needle felting class.

Meanwhile, I thought I would share my collection of tea/coffee/hot chocolate ware with you.

In my kitchen, above my cabinets, I have a nice space to display my sets.

I'm pretty much obsessed with Alice in Wonderland

Yup

Here is my Bavarian Hot Cocoa set that I inherited from my grandmother. 

I picked up this coffee pot, tea pot, and creamer at various thrift shops 

Here is another set that I inherited from my Grandmother.  A biscuit jar, cup and saucer, creamer cup, and coffee pot.  It's not all one set but they compliment each other nicely.  

Perfect for spoiling yourself on a chilly morning.  

It's chipped - like most things that are well loved - all the more reason to use it!

Love! 

My mom bought this set for my birthday this year.  We got it at an Antique Shop that is in an old school house in Arkansas.  I fell in love with it when I saw it.  It is hand painted and signed.  The woman who did this did an excellent job!  

My 2 of my handmade tiered party plates, and 1 vintage one.  I'll be using the one on the left for my tea party so you'll see better photos of that one.

I picked these Bailey's Irish Coffee cups, sugar, and creamer up at Things Etc., an indoor flea market in Albuquerque.  Got a screaming deal on these.  I have 4 cups total plus the sugar and creamer.  I was so excited that I was able to complete the set during one shopping trip!  A couple of different vendors had all of the pieces that made up my set.  

It was meant to be!

So cute! 

Here is my party setup.

Upcycled tiered party plate - made by me! 

I'll be serving the flowering green tea in a clear teapot.  I have a nice tea cozy that I swapped for at a craft show.  It works great!  I highly recommend getting a tea cozy. 

My creamer cup that I a fellow vendor at Antiques and Things gave me - not the same pattern as the tea set that I'm using but VERY close. 

My cups and saucers.  These also used to belong to my grandma.  

The pattern is Haviland Apple Blossom

My craft studio - it has enough seating for 9 people. 

The needle felting class kits. 

I'll be showing my students the various needle felting tools and how to use them.  

Plus show them how to craft on a budget.

Each student will get to choose a cup and saucer with which to make their pin cushion for the class.

(The swan one is mine)

And this is what we'll be making.  Needle felted latte pin cushion.

#pincushion #needlefelt #latteart #belovedbijou

A photo posted by Myria (@mandellphotos) on Jan 25, 2015 at 6:04pm PST

Thank you for reading!  Stay tuned for tomorrow's post.  I'll be sharing photos of the party and the final products of the craft class.

Love,
Myria