Reclaimed Mannequin

I went to the flea market on Memorial Day and found this great mannequin form for 2.00.  It was cracked in several places but I love mannequins and just had to have it. I knew immediately what I was going to do with it. My mind never stops when I am at a flea market the problem is the rest of me can't keep up ( that is why it took a month to get to this project).  I patched up the cracks with some plaster wrap and went on to the next step.

I took an old door panel I had and primed it and then painted it dove grey.

Next I covered the entire mannequin in plaster wrap.

This is the stuff that every kid in school makes a mask out of in art class. It is the best stuff ever. I know I could have made my own plaster wrap but with this piece I wanted the wrapping to give it more stability and stick to the plastic mannequin.  Sometime you have to go the distance and pay the man.  I just ordered some more on line from Jo Ann fabrics. They sent me an email for 50% off one item and free shipping...cha-ching! I got the 5 pound box! Can't wait to make the wings I have planned!

I put a board up the back so I would have something I could screw to the door panel

Here is the finished piece. I really like it. After the plaster wrap dried I covered the mannequin in vintage magazine pages. I used some brown paper for the sash and the gold wings are some I just had on hand from another find. I made the roses out of an old quilt and other fabrics.  The star is an old ornament reflector and I used black tulle to make a skirt.  I put some trim around the waist with pre-made roses. (Can you see the purse to the right of the mannequin? I am working on that and will post it later on).

Life Is Beauty-Full

It has been about 2 week since I finished a project and I can tell you that is not from lack of trying. I have been working right along but it seems that everything I worked on didn't come out the first time. I am a perfectionist and want things to come out a certain way and don't give up until they do. Three of this week's projects are in that category. I grew up hearing if you fail try try again, if you fall off the horse get back up in the saddle , and if life gives you lemons make lemon aid. So needless to say it took me longer but things came out alright and are nicely tucked away at the shop for sale. Below is a night stand that I picked up that had some great character. I love the handles and the modern look. My first inclination was to paint it gray and then I thought why not try a gradient approach in steps of gray.

First I removed the handles and gave them a coat of spray paint and then gave the stand a coat of bonding primer. Bonding primer makes any surface accept paint like magic. It is the best thing I learned on Pinterest so far. There isn't anything I haven't used it on including glass and ceramic. Next I took masking tape and ran it down the stand from back to front all the way down the drawers and all. I painted 2 coats of the dark gray and let it dry. Then I proceeded to do the same with the tape method painting the rest of the stand using lighter shades of gray as I went along.

After the gray paint was completely dry I stenciled on the words first in a coat of bright white and then in black. I top-coated the stand with Min Wax poly coat and replaced the handles.

This solid little piece would be great to by the bedside or as a incidental table to catch mittens, magazines, or craft projects. Life is Beauty-full.

Red Neck Wine Glasses

I was wondering how I could make dinner special for my (adult) kids last Wednesday and remembered a post on the net I saw a while back on Red Neck Wine Glasses (Does Red Neck really have to be capitalized? I better ask Jeff Foxworthy).  Anyways I found this tutorial on making these glasses and knew someday I would have to make some for myself they were hawg heaven! http://kraftingwithk.blogspot.com/2011/04/redneck-wine-glasses.html  Go visit this blog Krafting with K is is really cool and this idea was just the ticket for making my enchilada dinner over the top. 

I had some pint jars in the basement that had been sitting there for about 5 years gathering dust so I brought them up and washed just for the occasion.  I guess since they were Red Neck style I could of skipped this step but I did it anyways, then after they were dry I followed the steps in K's blog.  I added the glass jewels cause I may be a Red Neck but I still like my BLING!

I will tell you Mountain Dew never tasted so good coming from a can.  You can take a Red Neck girl out of the country but don't mess with her sophisticated style.